Knight in Gold Armor
by PsylanceSimons
Summary: In all the lands, it is known that that Knights of Miracles is the strongest group of protectors. However, they have been disbanded for quite some time, yet Kise has yet to find place for himself. Meanwhile, a prince's life is on the line and needs a guard, but not just any old knight will do. More info inside. ((KIKASA))
1. The Yellow Knight

**Title: Knight in Gold Armor**

 **Characters: Not Mine**

 **Pairings: KiKasa, KagaKuro, MidoTaka, AkaFuri, Murahimu, AoMomoi**

 **Warning: This is a modified!medieval!AU Don't know what I mean? Read to find out!**

 **Please leave a review to tell me what you guys think!**

 **Enjoy!**

~~~Chapter 1~~~

The Yellow Knight

"It has been two months," Akashi Seijuro started. The red haired knight looked around the room at his former team that surrounded the table, himself at the head of it. The general expression of the room was boredom, and the level of engagement was low. Both facts annoyed Akashi, but he was hoping to change that. The Red Knight cleared his throat and continued, "I called this meeting as a sort of reunion for everyone. So, how are you all doing?"

Seijuro tried to keep this meeting informal; however, he could feel the tenseness in the air. The five didn't quite leave each other on good terms and those sour memories seemed to be resurfacing. Everyone sent nasty glares but exchanged no words. This wasn't how Akashi wanted their gathering to go. "As you all may know, I'm now residing with Prince Furihata Kouki –"

"You mean that cowardly prince a bit out east?" Aomine Daiki interrupted. The Blue Knight had his elbow on the rounded table with his head cupped in his palm. He looked the most bored of them all, and looked like he was itching to get out of his metal armor.

" _Yes_. However, I would've used different word choices when describing my employer," Akashi answered though his teeth, "He isn't a coward, you see, simply strategic."

With a raise of his brow, Aomine retorted, "Yeah, but doesn't he always run away from battles with his tail between his legs? I don't know about you, but that sounds pretty cowardly to me."

The conversation was really starting to annoy the Seijuro, but he humored the Blue Knight. "Kouki 'runs away' for he doesn't wish to lose any soldiers – which I respect. But when it comes time for war, you can bet that Kouki will achieve victory for his lands – with my _expert_ help of course."

"I thought you were simply his personal guard," Midorima Shintarou, the Green Knight, stated a-matter-of-factly.

With a smirk to his old comrade, Akashi replied, "That is true, but that doesn't stop my prince from asking for help every once in a while."

"Humph, that guy must be really weak if he has to ask for help, even if it's from Akashi," Daiki muttered to himself, "Satsuki never has to ask for my help . . ."

"What's this I hear?" Midorima inquired with a raise of his brow, "Are you a knight for Princess Momoi of the far east?"

"W-what?!" the Blue Knight stammered as his face darkened for reasons the other knights weren't quite sure of, "Satsuki? N-no way. She just lets me hang out at her place i-is all . . ." Aomine concluded lamely.

"Ah," Midorima hummed as he adjusted his glasses.

"Hu? W-well, what about you, ya four-eyed freak?! Where are stayin'? I bet you don't even have a job!"

"Don't be absurd," Shintarou replied with a glare, "Of course I – as you say – 'have a job'. I am, as a matter of fact, one of the head archers for Prince Takao Kazunari, of the Hawkeye Kingdom."

"Hm, that's typical of you to go to a place like that Midochin," Murasakibara Atsushi hummed to himself as he took a bite out of the loaf of bread in his hand. The Purple Knight sat at one of the further ends of the rounded table. In front of him sat mounds of food and empty plates of snacks he'd already eaten. The foodie was now on his fifth loaf of bread; and with all the crumbs on his armor, Midorima couldn't help but feel irritated.

"What was that?" the Green Knight asked with narrowed eyes.

"All I said was that it's just like you to go to a kingdom full of archers, that's all," the Purple Knight said with a mouth full of bread. His voice, like a child's, showed no real bite to his words, but the green haired knight knew when he was being insulted.

"What about you then, you oaf, are you in a kingdom full of gluttons such as yourself?"

"Hu? No way. I'm with Murochin, of course. Have been since we got fired," Murasakibara stated simply, still munching on his snacks.

"Aw, don't say it like that Murasakicchi! You make it sound so harsh!" Kise Ryouta whined. The Yellow Knight rested his chin on the edges of his palms as his elbows sat atop the polished oak. His blond hair swayed over his eyes as he shot the Purple Knight a pitiful look.

"That's because it was, idiot," Midorima stated a-matter-of-factly as he adjusted his glasses once again.

"It still sounds so sad . . ." the Yellow Knight muttered with a slump. Kise didn't like to think of it like that; he didn't like to think that four of his closest comrades had gone their separate ways, never see each other again. He thought of the Knights of Miracles to be like family, so of course he didn't want to never meet again. Clearly now they were seeing each other, but how long would this sort of happiness and peace last (if this sort of vicious conversation can be called peace)? There will be moments – he says _will_ because there is no doubt it won't happen – where they will be on opposite sides of a battlefield. Then what? When the next time they meet, they will have to cross swords? Will they have to kill each other? That is one thought Kise never wants to become reality, but might happen in the near future. However, there was one problem with his thinking . . .

Akashi looked over to the blond knight and noted his quietness. The trick with Ryouta was to get him to stop talking; but ever since the rise of this topic, the blond has been nothing but reserved as he picked at his golden armor. With his full attention on the blond now, Akashi asked, "Ryouta, what about you? Where do you reside now?"

The blond flinched at his former leader's words. He looked over with a mask of innocence and answered, lamely, "Hu? What was that Akashicchi?"

Leaning forward on the table, the red head laced his fingers together and rested his chin atop them. He repeated with a low, elegantly-deadly tone, "I asked, 'what about you?' What are you doing now Ryouta? Have you found a kingdom to call home? We all have, how about yourself?"

"Ah, that's right," Aomine said with a grin, "You've been quiet over there Blondie, what's the matter? Is you place just as pitiful as Akashi's?"

Under his breath, the Red Knight said in a fierce tone, "Watch your mouth, _Daiki_."

The Blue Knight, then too, flinched at Akashi's words. The glare the red head was sending him was worthy of the death gods themselves. It was never a good thing to be on the Red Knight's bad side and for some reason Aomine seemed to keep forgetting that. The conversation, however, around them continued.

"Um, no. T-that isn't it . . ." Ryouta answered as he fidgeted in his seat.

Midorima raised a brow. "Don't tell me you haven't found an employer yet."

"O-of course not!" Kise replied. He cursed himself for stuttering; now no one was going to believe him.

"Ooooh, Kisechin shouldn't be lying," Murasakibara said as he munched on a bag of seeds.

"I'm . . . uh . . ."

"So you don't have a job?" Midorima asked.

Kise stayed quiet and avoided eye contact with the Green Knight.

"You are so easy to read."

"Hey, that's mean Midorimacchi!"

"But not wrong."

"But still rude!"

"Enough," Akashi declared, interrupting the two's dialogue. The former leader stood, as did the other knights. He was now satisfied with the flow of conversations, however was realizing his irritation with the group – something he often felt in the past with the other four. Overall, however, he felt that a bit of competitiveness and rivalry wasn't a bad thing in the slightest considering how the group was one sentence away from biting each other's heads off. Yes, he was quite content with how this meeting went. "I believe that should be enough for today. It was a pleasure to see all you again and to catch up on what you've been doing these past few weeks. I wish you all well as you set off to your kingdoms –" The red head paused, and looked at Kise directly, "or where ever you choose to go."

* * *

A quiet murmur set amongst the crowd as the words of the prince finally sank in to all listening ears. Eyes shifted nervously to one another, but only one set of steely, blue eyes held a determined glare.

"Sir, you still in need of more protection," his squire insisted in a hushed tone, "That attempt on your life, surely, will not be the last."

"Yes, I am aware," the prince stated.

"Then – forgive me for sounding so – pick a personal guard already, Kasamatsu."

"I don't think I like that tone, _Moriyama_."

With a sigh and a bow he apologized, "Forgive me, sir, but I don't see why it's so difficult to choose."

With a turn of his head, Kasamatsu Yukio looked the other in the eye and said, "Because whomever I choose will rule this kingdom if I do end up dead. I don't want that sort of responsibility to fall to some buffoons lap," Yukio said as he leaned back in his seat, "Besides, none of these knights can protect me. None have the skill; and all of them are here for their own gain, not for the people, and not for me."

"You're beginning to sound quite selfish," Moriyama stated.

Kasamatsu didn't care. He would rather be called the greediest man alive if it would protect his people, his kingdom. He waved his hand in dismissal of the row of knights standing before him. Without another word, those men walked in shame off his grounds in search for a different employer. They all left with dignity and honor, but there was no doubt they would spread rumors on how unjust and cruel this prince was – which were both far from the truth.

Those men were in search for jobs to better themselves, as they all were. However, Kasamatsu would never hire a man like that. If Yukio was greedy, then those men were the embodiment of avarice. They only marched their way to his kingdom to gain power and better themselves. Those greedy bastards will never be worthy to work for him, and he doubted there would be a soul that would.

* * *

Kise slumped against the wooded table and whined, "But Kurokocchiiiiii!"

With a sigh, Kuroko Tetsuya replied to the blond, "I'm sorry Kise-kun. I have to get back to work. I will ask you again, kindly, to please leave."

The blond stuck out his lower lip, in a silent plea. However, the blue haired prince seemed unfazed with his steady blinks of those pale, blue eyes. Ryouta gave up after what seemed like mere seconds as he slumped against the table in defeat.

"I did apologize, Kise-kun," Kuroko defended.

"I know," Kise said deflatedly. His chin rested against the cool surface for a moment before he threw his head back and let out a groan. "Ah! I just don't wanna leave! I don't get why I can just stay here and be your personal guard!"

Kuroko, keeping his composure as the knight's crumbled to dust, answered Kise's discreet question, "You already know the reason; you and the Knights of Miracles were simply too expensive."

Kise looked over to the blue haired prince with hurt in his eyes. He, however, didn't deny the fact. Over the years, the five did demand more from their gracious ex-employer. Kuroko never had a problem with it in the past – or at least Ryouta didn't think he did – that is until the Treaty of Seirin. Now that the two kingdoms have merged, Kuroko saw the five knights as a resource that wasn't quite needed. Kise wanted to complain about that fact, but with the lack of attacks on the Shadow Kingdom – _because_ of the Knights of Miracles – grew smaller and smaller, it was hard to deny the prince's logic. What could the blond say; they were quite a formidable –and apparently pricey – team.

"Besides, he already has a personal guard," a new voice interjected.

Kise turned his head to see a face he wasn't quite familiar with but wasn't stranger to. This – this Kagami Taiga – was the one man that replaced the five knights. With the merge of the kingdoms and the firing of the Miracles, Kuroko replaced them all with one man. Kise would've felt personally offended (thinking, _who is this guy and why does Kurokocchi think he's so much better than him?_ ) if it wasn't for Kagami's incredible skills with a battle axe. They were unparalleled and even ran toe to toe with the Miracles' skills.

The blond was irritated that the guard interrupted their conference, if one could call it that. Kagami stood at the entrance of the room – in casual clothing unlike the other two who were wearing formal robes and armor – waiting to be allowed into the chamber. With a nod from the blue haired prince, Kagami entered and strode right to Kise.

"Alright, Kise," the guard started, staring down at him with those intense red eyes, "You heard Kuroko, you've over stayed your welcome. Get up." As he said those last words, the black-tipped red head lifted Kise up by the scruff of his armor. Kagami was then to lead the Yellow Knight out of the manor (Kise didn't shriek when lifted out of the chair; he simply let out a noise of surprise).

"I will also see you out," the Shadow Prince said as he rose from his chair. Neither Kagami nor Kise complained as the guard escorted the knight out of the mansion.

The blond tried to persuade his old boss to re-hire him, but Kagami wasn't having any of it. It seemed as though every time the blond tried to speak, the guard would shut him up or strike up a different matter with the prince. _How rude!_ Kise thought. Little did he realize Kagami was simply getting Prince Kuroko caught up on his work that the blond was distracting him from.

By the time Kise got to the front entrance, Kuroko's mind didn't sway in the slightest. As the large oak doors were pushed open, Kuroko was already turning to dwell back into his castle. The prince's final words were sweet in parting, but Kise was no idiot. He knew Kuroko wanted him out of his sight (not in the mean way, oh no, it was just Kise was taking up too much time and energy to keep entertained) to concentrate on different matters.

The Yellow Knight spotted his horse in the hands of a stableman, ready for him to take him away from this place. The thought both depressed and impressed Ryouta. It was impressive how fast the horse keeper was to prepare his steed, but it showed how egger everyone was to get the blond out of there.

Before the blond could step out of the castle, Kagami had one more exchange, "I heard that you still don't have a job, don't have a kingdom to call your own."

Kise tried not to flinch and feel personally offended by the statement, but he replied with the steadiest voice he could muster, "Y-yeah. B-but don't worry about me! I'll find a job in no time! I mean, I am a _Knight of Miracles_! Who in their right mind wouldn't hire me?"

He tried to sound optimistic, he tried so hard, but it was tough to persuade someone else when you're also trying to convince yourself. 

**Sorry that parts of this was a bit wordy and filled with some unnecessary details. I promise the next chapter to be filled with more action.**

 **Please leave a review to tell me what you think or have any questions ^^**


	2. Egos

~~~ Chapter 2 ~~~

Egos

Kasamatsu was starting to get irritated by his staff. He realizes that everything they do is for his best interest, not to mention his health, but it was unnecessary and overdramatic. Day after day, Moriyama would call in knights and guards from across the country in hopes that he would choose a man worthy enough to put his life into their greedy hands. No one seemed to understand that that black haired prince couldn't just pick a personal knight so easily like that.

Yet, here he was – again – sitting in front of a line of knights showcasing their talents in his fields. The men were to present their name, where they hail from, and their specialty with a demonstration. It was an annoying process, but one that the prince had to endure. As of now, the last knight was presenting his talents – the average archer. When the archer was done shooting arrows though a target, Prince Kasamatsu thanked the archer – which made the knight's chest swell with pride – and the man stepped back into the line.

Kasamatsu wasn't impressed. All these men were talented, of course, but none of them were what he was looking for. It was difficult to explain his search, and he wasn't going to try, but he knew that these knights – these men – weren't even close to the right fit. The prince looked at all the knights' faces. All of them were expecting to be picked over the rest; they were all so easy to read. Kasamatsu didn't find any pleasure in crushing those dreams, but the prince will find his employees' faces of disappointment and irritation amusing.

The prince was about to dismiss the lot – his hand was in the air and his voice was right in his throat – when a horse whinnied and plowed through the prince's courtyard. All eyes turned to this new comer on horseback. The first thing Yukio noticed about the rider was the armor. It was _gold_. Well, to say that it was _pure gold_ would be farfetched (not to mention cliché), but it did appear that way. Amongst all the dingy, silver chainmail, this golden shell was like the sun in a dulled void. It was compelling, captivating . . . and obnoxious! Who on earth would need such armor?! It would be dented and ruined the second he was to go to battle! Why waist such metal on something that is to bust? It made no sense to the prince, and that angered him.

When the rider was in line with the other knights, he hopped off and removed his helmet. The furs on top the helm was nothing compared to the locks underneath. The hair of the knight was just as golden as his breastplate. It was short cut, but long in comparison to the prince's; it stopped right above the eyes, eyes that were a brilliant shade of brown. The orbs were gripping as well as the rest of the knight's features. A soft smile adorned his face, and with those high cheek bones of his he could be described as nothing less than handsome. Comparing the knight as he stood next to the other men, it was prevalent how much the blond stood out in any sort of crowd, especially this one. His height was even more striking than the rest.

He was the stereotypical image of a knight in shining armor.

But then he spoke.

"O, Prince Kasamatsu – King of Princes, and most wise of all the rulers of these kingdoms! My name is Sir Knight Kise Ryouta, of the Knights of Miracles. You may have heard of us, for I don't know how you wouldn't with our amazing track record. You may also know me as the Yellow Knight – one of the most skilled and good looking of the bunch. I have come to you to offer my services as a personal guard; for I heard you were requesting such. Fear not, for your prayers have been answered!" Kise took a brief moment out of his monologue to unsheathe the blade from his side. "This," the blond continued as he showed off his weapon, "is my sword of choice, a bastard sword. With this blade, I can copy any move of a regular swordsman. It has yet to fail me in battle. I vow that I will protect you from whatever harms you with this mighty sword of mine! No man could even hold a knife to my skills, so it would be most wise to hire me now and save yourself some trouble!"

With that, Kise punctured the ground with a mighty stab. He crossed his arms over his breastplate and smiled a charming smile. No one said anything. _Too in awe,_ was Kise's thought.

The prince rose from his seat. The other knights, as well as his staff, stared at the black haired noble as he made his way towards the line of men. Kise thought he was going to be congratulated for getting the job – it was a shoe-in for a knight like himself, after all – but that thought was shattered when the prince broke out into a run. Kasamatsu jumped and managed to kick the knight right on the temple. The Yellow Knight flew a few feet back with a yelp and landed on his back with an _oof_.

Kise rubbed at his sore head as he sat up whining, "Oooow! What was that for?! That's no way to treat a knight with such a high status!"

"Shut up!" the prince roared, "Just . . . _shut up!_ " Kasamatsu was having a hard time controlling his temper. He was beyond annoyed with this new comer, _Kise_ apparently. Who let this fool into his kingdom, unannounced, and let him do as he pleased?! If Kasamatsu wasn't prince, people might've questioned his outburst of violence. But because of his status, it was wavered, but that didn't mean that everyone wasn't speechless to the twos' little show. To Yukio, having this knight prance all over the place acting as it was his own was more than irritating; it was disrespectful. That sort of ego needed to be taken down a few notches. The raven haired male didn't care that this man wasn't his own subject; no person – no matter their title – deserves the right to be that cocky.

"What did I do wrong?" the blond man whined (he whined for crying out loud! What kind of knight was this?!).

"Where do I begin?" the prince muttered through his teeth for only his ears. He cleared his throat and stood tall with his chin held high, and continued in a louder tone, "A man – no matter his status, _Yellow Knight_ – should boast about himself so . . . _flamboyantly_ , especially in the face of nobility. If you wish to be my guard – as you claim to want – you are wasting your time; I have no place for men with large egos such as yourself."

"B-but," Kise interjects as he get off the grass and brushes the foliage from his person. He gave the shorter male a pleading look as he continued, "you didn't give me a chance to prove I can defend you. The word is that you need a protector, and I'm just what you need! Uh, my prince!"

Kasamatsu could feel his eye twitch. Why was this guy still talking? Yukio already told him to leave, yet here he was trying to plea his worth. Who did this knight think he was, defying the prince's words? With narrowing of his eyes, Yukio denied the knight, "I do not require knights that hold their heads higher than their superior."

With an earnest expression, the blond whines, "Just give me a chance Kasamatsucchi."

Yukio's first thought was how pleading the other sounded. It was such a desperate tone along with a desperate expression. If this knight was so good, as he claims, then why would he be trying so hard to get a mediocre job such as this? Guarding wasn't a glamorous position; now going to war was worthy of praise, but protecting a noble was similar grunt work for knights.

Kasamatsu's second – more prominent – thought was, _What did that fool call me?_ "What the hell kind of nickname is that –?" the prince swore at the Yellow Knight.

He could feel his veins throbbing on his brow, just waiting to burst. Although, before he could yell the blond's ear off, something caught the noble's eye. It was slight, could've been nothing and Yukio dismissed it as such in his mind. However, Kise's eyes were sharper, his guard was up and his senses were heightened. That little shine was not something ignore, and as soon as the blond caught eye of that small light he knew exactly what it was.

In a matter of seconds, Kise reached around Kasamatsu for his sword. He grabbed the hilt and yanked the weapon from the ground and over his head, careful not to hit the noble. With an elegant spin – with his bastard sword to the sky – Kise then brought the blade down right in front of Kasamatsu, intercepting the arrow that was about to collide with the prince's chest. The weapon then slammed into the ground with another impressive thud, nearly skimming the black haired noble's face. The move was so fluid and quick that it took Yukio a second to figure out exactly what happened. One moment, he was about to yell at the blond idiot, and the next he feels a gust of wind in front of his face and sees a broken arrow at his feet.

The prince looked to Kise with wide eyes and notices that the Yellow Knight isn't even looking at Kasamatsu, but in the exact direction of where the projectile came from. Kise's eyes were so focused and his expression serious. The prince was unaware a man such as him could hold such a look on his face.

Without a word, Kise disappeared from Yukio's side and towards the tree lining that surrounded the courtyard. The blond moved with such agility that Kasamatsu almost lost sight of the knight if it wasn't for that golden armor. Kise jumped into the thicket, out of everyone's sight, but all who were present could hear the sounds of struggling and weapons clashing behind the brush. Grunts and cries came from the forest as did rustling of leaves and branches.

Then there was silence.

Yukio blinked and took a step towards the forest, as if it would gain him a better vantage point. However, Kise emerged from the woods mere seconds later, now covered in blood that wasn't his own. He came out of the thicket with that same intense glare, and it was aimed right at the noble as if to say, _I am the real deal. I can hold my sword with the best of them._

It was the image of the perfect, powerful knight – strong, not afraid to get his hands dirty, will protect their prince at all costs. It left Kasamatsu speechless.

However, the image was broken as soon as Kise opened his mouth. "Ew, now I have to get my armor polished! I really don't want this blood to stain it!" the blond said with a wine. He then took out a rag and began to wipe the blood off his sword (Yukio wished he could've watched the blond battle considering how much of the liquid adorned the weapon).

The prince could feel his irritation rise again, only a bit though for his awe still trumped all other feelings. He really wished he could've watched the Yellow Knight fight for he wanted to know how someone such as Kise could've possibly killed such a skilled archer (the assassin had to be good for how could someone such as that sneak into his kingdom, unnoticed, and come so close to completing his mission).

Speaking of assassins, Kasamatsu just realized the gravity of the issue. He almost died. If it wasn't for Kise, he might not be here now. There was no doubt that that man could've killed Kasamatsu on his throne, so if it wasn't for the Yellow Knight he might've had an arrow through his chest by now.

Feeling sheepish for not saying anything sooner, the raven haired prince cleared his throat to get the knight's attention. When those striking brown eyes landed on him, he almost lost his nerve. With a reddening face, Kasamatsu said, "I-I believe a thank you is in order, K-Kise. Thank you . . . for saving my life."

The blond blinked a few times, as if to process the information. The two didn't hold eye contact for long – Yukio being the one to break it almost as soon as it started. But after a few seconds, Kise smiled earnestly to the prince. "You're welcome," he said modestly. It might've been the only humble thing the knight has said this entire time, and Yukio found that endearing for some reason.

However, before anything else could be said between the two, a voice shouted from Kasamatsu's throne, "You're hired!"

 **Please let me know what you all think! Also, if there are any mistakes, feel free to correct me! I wanna make this as well written as possible ^^**

 **Hope you enjoyed it!**

 **Stay awesome ^^**


	3. Learn the Ropes

~~~ Chapter 3 ~~~

Learn the Ropes

Kasamatsu's face distorted from gratitude to anger. "Whoa whoa whoa, Moriyama! Who said you could make that decision?!" the noble yelled to his squire.

The black haired prince marched over to his staff member and was about to give him an earful when another one piped up, "How soon can you start Sir Kise?"

Like some sort of mutt, the blond's ears perked up. "Right away!"

"Oi, Kobori!" the prince scolded as he tried to control his staff. Why was no one listening to him?!

"Perfect. I'm sorry gentlemen, but it seems we have filled the position," the clerk informed. The other knights looked disappointed with the news but bowed respectfully to the noble and left with their heads down.

"Who said you could –" Kasamatsu tried to interject, again, but was once more ignored by his own staff members.

"WHOA! That was some impressive sword swingin' ya did there Kise! It didn't take all that long to kill that assassin, hu?" Hayakawa said with his endless enthusiasm. He somehow walked past Kasamatsu, without his notice, and to the blond knight. The two were conversing as if they were in their own little world.

"Heh, yup. It was easy!" Kise bragged as he flashed the brown haired man a dazzling smile.

"You and I gotta duel sometime then! I'm no super powerful knight or anythin' like that but I ain't too shabby with a sword!"

"Yeah! That would be really fun!"

"Would you idiots all shut up?!" Kasamatsu yelled as his patience level broke. Steam practically rolled off the raven haired male as he ground his teeth. Kise flinched at the prince's outburst and shrank away from him; however, the other three were unfazed by Kasamatsu's behavior. To the noble's dismay, his staff acted out of his orders from time to time. Because of this, the group was use to Kasamatsu's outbursts. They justified their actions by stating that it was for the good of their kingdom and for the prince, which is the only reason why they weren't fired the moment they stepped out of line – that and they were all exceptional at their jobs, not to mention Kasamatsu became fond of the trio.

But that didn't mean they didn't annoy the crap out of Yukio, which they did – like right now for instance. That fact alone made the noble rub his eyes in irritation.

Moriyama – the brave soul – simply sighed at the noble's antics and patted the shorter male on the head and said with a laugh, "Calm down Kasamatsu. You really don't have anything to be angry about."

The prince swatted the hand away from his head with a huff. "Knock it off," he ordered. With a calming breath, Kasamatsu continued with a more sensible tone, "And who said I was hiring him?"

With a roll of his eyes, Kobori walked up to the noble and stated, "It would be foolish to pass up the opportunity to work with a knight of his strength and status. If he's as famous as he claims to be –"

"And I am!" the blond interjected from a distance.

"– then that sort of rumor would also be a great asset. When word gets around that you have a _Knight of Miracles_ as your personal guard, maybe the threats on your life will dwindle."

Kasamatsu wanted to rebuttal, but couldn't think of any arguing points. Simply having the knight around would be beneficial; he didn't even have to do anything to be useful. But if he were to really be his guard, he was certainly skilled enough. However, Kasamatsu still couldn't get a specific read on Kise; he couldn't tell if Kise was doing this for himself or for the good of others. If this was to boost his status, he would be picking a poor job to do so. Sure being a personal guard to nobility had long term perks, but it was a waist of talent for such a skilled swordsman. It was a lot to ponder for the young prince; so many decisions to make.

With Kise, upon hearing that the threats on Kasamatsu were not rumors (which should've been obvious to the blond by now, now that he witness and stopped an attempted murder), he couldn't help but feel shock, anger, and a sense of protection towards the shorter man. It was an odd feeling. He wanted nothing more than to hide the black haired male away from all the bad in the world, he wanted to keep him safe. Yet, the two meet not ten minutes ago, and in those seconds the noble seemed to show a clear distain for the blond. But for some reason, that little detail seemed to pass over the knight's head – he had a bad habit of not noticing people's disliking toward him. Kise has never felt so protective over someone he's just met before; it was so strange.

"Please," the blond spoke up. The four heads turned towards the knight. For some reason, Kise suddenly felt sheepish at what he was going to say next, but swallowed it down and continued, "Please let me take the job. I promise to protect you Kasamatsucchi. I'll even lower my usual asking price!" Kise paused. He looked at the other's faces to find confusion and fascination with his words. Kise wasn't one for philosophical dialogues like Midorima or can rouse a legion of men like Akashi, but the Yellow Knight had his moments in the sun – even if they were clouded by his usual selfish banter.

Kasamatsu blinked. He hated to admit it, but with those few words his mind was swayed. He didn't dare entertain the thought of him being able to change Kise into a more proper knight, but he was now fascinated with the blond and he knew he couldn't refuse him if he tried.

* * *

"This is where your room will be, Kise," Moriyama instructed as he opened a large, oak door.

Ryouta popped his head in the room and noted that it was a standard single person's chambers, complete with a bed, dresser, and a few lavish chairs littered about. The blond didn't voice how this room was smaller than his last one at the Shadow Kingdom. Instead he opted to say, "Hm, nice!"

"Know that Yukio's room is right next door, for security reasons of course," the squire continued. He closed the door and dusted off his hands and placed them on his hips, "As soon as Yukio is done with his 'princely duties' he'll show you to your plot of land."

"This is fantastic Moriyama, but who's Yukio?" Kise asked with a tilt of his head.

"Oh, sorry. That's Prince Kasamatsu's first name," the raven haired male elaborated.

"Ah." Ryouta had a feeling that the squire was referring to the black haired male, but he had to ask just to make sure. "So, Yukio is Kasamatsucchi's first name," the blond mused under his breath, "You two must be close considering you call him by his first name."

Moriyama scoffed, "Heh, I suppose. Yukio is close to all his staff, but he actually doesn't like us calling him that; it's 'too unprofessional'. We call him whatever we want behind his back, but nothing bad of course." As the squire explained their relationship, he led the knight down the halls, presumably towards the noble himself. He then chuckled, "I think you actually lucked out, Kise."

With a tilt of his head, the blond asked, "What do you mean?"

"Well," Moriyama started as he rounded a corner with Kise right on his heels, "Yukio isn't like those other stuck up princes out there that think themselves higher than others. He even treats us – his staff – as equals. I remember when one noble from a neighboring country came to visit; he was the most spoiled human being I've ever met. He even surrounded himself with beautiful women – of which I tried to introduce myself to, but was threatened with a knife to my throat. He talked so little of them.

"Yukio isn't like that at all, and I can only be thankful. I would quit in a heartbeat if someone treated me that way. But I will warn you, Kise; if you hadn't noticed already, Yukio can be a bit violent. He's got quite the temper on him. It's disorienting at first, but you'll get use to it, I'm sure. If you get past that, Yukio is a really nice guy."

Kise chuckled. The knight realized that he himself was quite the motor-mouth, but it seemed that Moriyama could compete with the blond's never ending conversations. However, Ryouta could talk about nothing all day long, whereas the squire had a meaning behind every word whether it is to teach or enlighten something to the younger knight or if it was so state something about himself. He realized quickly that he liked the raven haired male. He was fun to listen to.

"Thank you for the heads up, Moriyama," Kise said with a smile.

"You're welcome, Kise," the squire replied as he pushed open a heavy, oak door.

On the other side was none other than Kasamatsu Yukio. The room seemed to be a sort of study for the prince that was decorated with lavish furniture. Sculptures and paintings of different people and scenes littered the room making it feel like an artist's private gallery. The high ceiling and chandelier added to the effect. Ryouta couldn't help but gawk at the room. Granted, this seemed about the average sized room back in the Shadow Kingdom, but Kise wasn't about to compare the two. Kurokocchi didn't have nearly as much art in his manor as Kasamatsu, which was odd because the Shadow Prince seemed so much wealthier than his new employer. Why didn't Kurokocchi have more artwork in his castle? It was a thought for later.

When Kise's brown eyes returned to eye level, he noticed the stacks upon stacks of parchment on the noble's table. Kobori stood next to Kasamatsu, reading over his shoulder and advising the prince. The two talked in hushed tones to each other, and the blond noticed how irritated the black haired noble looked. It was almost amusing. His eyes would squint at the paper and his frown would deepen. He would comment on a matter on the paper and the clerk would respond in a more calm manner, but Kasamatsu would rebuttal as his tone would rise.

Kise felt so out of place in these situations. Kise wasn't dumb – and the bond would support that fact to his grave – but his reading and writing skills were mediocre at best. He wasn't as gifted in reading as Midorima or Akashi, but he could still manage to decipher the prince's flyer for a personal guard. However, if you hand him the bible, the blond will be completely and utterly lost in the multitude of words.

The blond shifted from foot to foot as he waited to be noticed by the noble – or maybe Kasamatsu already knew they were there but wasn't paying attention to them right now, it was difficult to say. After a few moments of the two debating over the contents of the parchment and the noble handing over his signature, Kasamatsu got up from his seat and made his way over to the blond. Kise offered a kind smile to the prince, but what he got in return was a stern, "Let's go."

Kise blinked in surprise. _That was awfully rude,_ the knight thought, but followed the shorter male regardless.

Kasamatsu led the two outside where their horses were waiting for them. Kise hoped on top of Kering's brown haired back onto the saddle. She wasn't wearing all her armor – neither was Kise – which seemed to delight the horse as she whinnied under the knight. Her light blond locks swayed in the wind as Ryouta pet her mane. She's been her loyal companion for years; she was one of the finest horses in all the lands.

The blond looked over to Kasamatsu to see the noble also mount his steed. His horse was a slightly taller than Kise's – which was expected from someone of such status – with black hairs coving its strong body with hints of white spots under the saddle. It looked to be a strong horse indeed, and Ryouta couldn't help but feel a bit jealous (but then dismissed the thoughts because Kering was the best!).

Yukio lead the way off the estate and into the town. Kise was about to question why the prince didn't have an escort with him to lead him around his lands when he realized that _he_ was the escort and will be for the remainder of his stay with Yukio. It was an interesting and daunting thought – to think you will be serving one person for the rest of your natural life – but that image was put to the side when the two entered a busy section of the town.

People parted for the prince like the Red Sea. Applause and cheers of gratitude could be heard from the people, and Kasamatsu handled it like quite the politician. He waved to the crowd and held a charming smile to his face. Kise was tempted to do the same – and maybe show the noble up with his glamorous looks that would sure make a few women swoon – but he had to focus. This was one of his first tests as a personal guard and knight for the prince. What if something happened, something always happens, so he had to stay sharp – but that doesn't mean he didn't wink at a few cute townspeople.

Now out of the town, the two rode into the country side. It was less crowded and there were far less buildings, and the road was dirt instead of stone. After the environment change, it didn't take long for the noble and his guard to arrive at the knight's new plot of land. It was actually the best land Kasamatsu could offer. The soil was rich and always yielded a fruitful harvest, also the serfs here were loyal. With the decline of the workers over the past few years, it was rare to find such faithful servants such as those.

Kasamatsu dismounted and Kise followed suit. Ryouta tried not to grimace as his boots sank into the muddied ground as he landed. The noble didn't even notice as he walked towards the small shack. The knight tried not to trip over the grubby terrain as he followed the prince. As the two approached the hovel, an elderly man stepped out and made his way to meet the two half way. The man was just as dirty as the mud Kise walked on. Many wrinkles adorned the other's face and he paraded around in cloths that looked just as old as he. Yet, what was surprising and confusing to the knight was that, the man still held a cheerful demeanor as he went up to greet the two.

With a kind smile, Prince Kasamatsu stretched out his hands towards the elder and the man grasped them and greeted, bowing his head, "My prince! What a pleasure to see you again. It's an honor."

"Hideyoshi," the black haired male greeted by name, "It's great to see you as well. I came to introduce you to the new owner of these lands, Sir Knight Kise Ryouta. Kise, this is Hideyoshi. He's been tending these lands for years now and there's no one better at it." The prince then emphasized his point by patting the elder on the back.

The other laughed at the noble's antics and replied with a chuckle, "I'm simply doing my job. If there's anything you need Sir, don't hesitate to ask."

"Well," the blond started as a sour look appeared on his face, "for starters, you can fetch me a rag. I'm soiling my boots on this disgusting mud." The elder hesitated. He looked to the noble then back to the knight. The blond's patience was running thin. What was this old man waiting for? With narrowed eyes, Kise repeated, "Did you hear me, _peasant_? I said get me a rag! You do have that much, don't you? Even such a poor man such as you can afford a simple piece of cloth, right?"

Kise couldn't manage another word out of his mouth other than a whine of pain. Kasamatsu was more than infuriated. _How dare this guy?!_ Right when the prince was warming up to the Yellow Knight, he goes and opens his mouth and the noble would remember why he distained the blond. Kasamatsu didn't care if he was out in the open where anyone could pass by and see the noble; he couldn't resist the urge to kick Kise to the ground.

The graceful Yellow Knight landed on his butt in the mud after a particularly hard kick to the chest from the prince. When Ryouta hit the grime, he let out both a whine of pain and disgust. Now his cloths were just as dirty as that commoner! Why did Kasamatsu do that? What did the knight do wrong? All he asked for was a rag to wipe the dirt off his shoes, why did that request deserve a kick to his unarmored chest? Looking up at the noble to unasked questions, he saw the raven haired male enraged. His jaw was clenched painfully and his fists were shaking. Kasamatsu's eyes seemed to be on fire; if looks could kill, Kise would be dead with a single stare from the noble.

"How _dare_ you, Kise?!" Kasamatsu yelled down to the blond, "Don't you ever, _ever_ , talk to Hideyoshi like that again! You hear me?! You don't talk like that to your underlings! I don't care how glorified you think you are; as long as you work for me and live within these boarders, you will treat every citizen with respect of an equal! _Understand?!_ "

Kise shrank back from the fuming noble. Kasamatsu was mad at him when he first arrived, but that anger was nothing compared to this fury. Knowing that this would've been the outcome of his actions toward the elder, Kise would've kept his mouth shut. He didn't realize how he treated peasants mattered in this kingdom. It didn't exactly matter back in the Shadow Kingdom; all the members of the Knights of Miracles talked like that to the commoners of that kingdom and Kurokocchi didn't seem to have a problem with it – or if he did, he didn't voice his distaste unlike Kasamatsu's foot.

Not wanting to infuriate the noble further, Kise rapidly nodded his head in understanding. With a huff, Kasamatsu's anger seemed to subside. He still glared daggers at the blond, but at least it didn't look like the noble wanted to rip his head off.

When Kasamatsu out stretched his hand, Kise thought he was going to get punched. The knight flinched at the motion, but soon realized that the black haired male was offering to help the other out of the mud. With reluctance, the blond male grabbed for the prince's hand.

Kasamatsu lifted Kise out of the dirt with ease. The whole way up off the ground, the blond male never broke eye contact with the black haired man. It was odd to say, but Kise found those intense, blue eyes alluring and couldn't bring himself to tear away from them. Their joined hands lingered a bit too long on each other's skin, but neither was complaining. With reluctance, Kasamatsu pried his hand away from the blond knight but their eye contact didn't break until a second later.

After that incident, Kasamatsu explained the expectations of the personal guard to the knight – how he was to supervise the lands and how he would have full jurisdiction of what crops and livestock that was allowed on the plot. Kise was only half paying attention, however. The Yellow Knight just couldn't seem to concentrate. He could hear the noble's words, but he didn't process what they meant. All he did was just listen to that surprisingly soothing yet gruff voice.

 _Kasamatsucchi was really something else_ , was the only thing on Ryouta's mind for the rest of their time on the knight's new grounds.

* * *

 **Sorry for taking so long with this update, so you guys get an extra long chapter! :D Although, I feel the need to explain a few things about this story:**

 **1) I don't know how Kise's mind works, especially with names. Although, I'm sticking to the idea that Kise only gives the -cchi nickname to people of high status like Kasamatsu and the knights. People like Moriyama he wouldn't give the nickname to, or even an honorific because I feel like Kise just doesn't do any other honorific :P**

 **2) The name of Kise's horse is actually a French fashion company XD**

 **3) I don't think I've actually explained what a bastard sword is. Oops. Well, if you haven't looked it up already, a bastard sword is just like a normal sword but it has a longer hilt and blade. And I believe the thickness is also bigger.**

 **Also if you want to take a guess at what time period this takes place you get brownie points and my upmost respect ^^**

 **Please leave a review to tell me what you think of it so far! and sorry for the extra load of info :P**

 **Stay awesome! ^^**


	4. Spar

~~~ Chapter 4 ~~~

Spar

Kise couldn't stop the proud smile that adorned his face. The blond practically skipped down Castle Kasamatsu's corridors as he made his way back from his plot of land. After his first visit with the prince himself, the Yellow Knight visited the farm frequently to see how the development was going as well as to get to know the serfs that ran it. They were all decent people, he supposed. As much as Kise wasn't fond of the peasants, he took Yukio's words to heart and treated the lower class with the upmost respect. He was even pleasantly surprised how kind the people were – however, that isn't to say that Ryouta _liked_ them.

The personal guard – decked out in fine clothing with his long, bastard sword strapped to his side – skipped down the halls in search for his prince. While humming a tuneless song to himself, he almost missed the sound of clanging metal. But because of his trained ear and his uncontrollable urge for combat, the blond perked up to the sound.

With an even higher sense of eagerness, Kise followed the commotion until he was standing in front of an open parlor. The tile reflected beautifully emphasizing the intricate patterns on the ground. High chandlers hung above, and rows of unlit candles ran around the parameter of the room. Any sort of table of chair was pushed to the side to allow maximum space for the two bodies that were utilizing the area.

Poking his head inside, Ryouta's jaw dropped at the scene in front of him. Before the Yellow Knight was Prince Kasamatsu and a stranger engaging in a duel. The unknown brawler held a normal sword, but the noble wielded a sharpened katana. Both figures were unarmored, but they didn't seem to be landing fetal blows, so that put a weight off Kise's shoulders. However, that didn't stop the knot that was forming around his chest.

The member of the Knight of Miracles was astonished with the spar that was going on in front of him. The unknown party was dismissed from his thoughts; he was mediocre at best anyway. Ryouta's real focus was on Yukio. The prince moved so fluidly. He would stab and slash at the other with such force and countered with perfect precision. It took a lot to impress the blond, but watching Kasamatsu's smooth but deadly movements left him dumbfounded. The way the raven haired male fought with the sword, how his muscles rippled under his skin, the intense look in his eye, and even the sweat gathering on his brow had Kise mesmerized.

With intricate movements, Kasamatsu disarmed the other male and held the blade to his throat. The ferocity in the prince's eye look all too familiar; it looked like the high Kise would be on when he was also in combat. For a moment, the blond feared that the noble would plunge his blade through the unknown's throat.

A beat passed and Kasamatsu lowered his blade. He chuckled lightly as he exchanged pointers and comments with the other. At the sight of Yukio grinning in such a way made Kise's heart clench. Ryouta didn't realize how good the noble looked when he wasn't frowning. _He should do that more often; he looks so handsome,_ the blond thought to himself. _Wait, what am I thinking?_ Kise questioned. He then shook his head to rid the idea (it didn't really work).

The two then started to walk towards the blond which caused him to panic. _They're gonna think I was watching them! But I kind of was, but that's not the point!_ Ryouta thought in a panic. He took a step back and then forward. His feet fumbled under him as he debated whether to run or approach the two. He frantically looked back and forth stiffly as he was still deciding when Kasamatsu noticed the blond.

With a knit of his brow the prince questioned, "Kise?"

At the call of his name, the knight froze with a flinch. "Uh . . ." he stammered. He straightened himself out and tried to shake the frazzled thoughts from his mind. The personal guard tried to save what little dignity he had left, but it was in vein as he reopened his mouth. "Y-you're a r-really good swordsman, K-Kasamatsucchi," the blond commented stiffly. He offered the other a tentative smile as he finished his sentence lamely. Why was he so tongue tied? Hell, why was he so disoriented and nervous? He's never had this problem before, even in the face of the king! And why was his face heating up so much; oh god it felt like it would burst into flames!

Kasamatsu was taken aback. To get such a complement from a swordsman prodigy such as Kise was more than flattering. The prince could feel his face heat up from the observation, much to his dismay. Why was he getting all flustered from one dumb comment?

"T-thanks," the prince replied as he tripped over his tongue. It was embarrassing for a noble such as him to stumble over a simple word. Clearing his throat to try to distract the blond of his obvious flustered state, Kasamatsu turned his attention to the ash-blond haired colored male. "Oh, um, by the way, this is Nakamura Shinya. He's also a knight and a guard here. You two will actually be working together a lot."

Kise finally turned his attention to the other male. The fellow knight was shorter than the blond, that was the first thing he noted, and he was wearing thick framed glasses. They were different than what he was use to seeing – the small circular ones – but these were rectangular and framed his face better. The ash-blond locks were messy atop his head even though they were dampened with sweat. He wasn't really anything special, Kise decided in his mind.

However, he put on a gentlemanly front for the prince's sake. "Hello there! My name's Sir Knight Kise Ryouta!" the blond greeted. He decided to keep the meeting short this time around – he knew he might get a kick to the head if he made his intro any longer or flashy.

With a bow, the stranger introduced himself, "It's a pleasure to meet, and soon work, with you. I'm Nakamura Shinya." Kise respectfully bowed back. Nakamura then turned to Kasamatsu and said, "Speaking of work, I should probably get back to that."

With a chuckle, the prince replied, "Alright then. Thanks for giving me a work out Nakamura."

"It was my honor, my prince. It was nice to meet you, Kise," the man said in parting. With another bow to the noble and knight, the guard left the two in the large parlor.

Without being prompted, Yukio said as he watched the man leave, "Nakamura has been one of the longest working knights here. He's a great swordsman and a loyal, noble man. He deserves more credit." The words seemed to be like an afterthought for the noble; as if he were muttering it to himself.

But Kise heard it. He looked down at the raven haired male to see the other knitting his brows in thought for a moment. With a sigh, Kasamatsu broke out of his mind and back to reality. He then looked up at the Yellow Knight and asked as he wiped his forehead on the collar of his sweaty shirt, "Anyway, what can I help you with Kise?"

He tried – _he really did_ – not to notice the skin that was revealed under the shirt that was lifted up. Kise only got a glimpse – _really, just a peak_ – of the toned muscle of the noble's stomach. Ryouta only now (when Kasamatsu was sparing) noticed how attractive the prince was. And now he knew that he's got a great body too? _Oh man, I'm in trouble,_ the blond thought.

Although when the prince asked his question, Kise almost missed the black haired male's words. Shaking his head to get himself to concentrate, the knight replied weakly, "O-oh, I just came to check up on you."

Kasamatsu nodded his head in understanding. As far as the noble knew, Kise went to manage his lands and just returned. It was only natural for the blond to find and reassure himself that the prince was fine.

An awkward – or at least awkward for Kise – silence enveloped the two. And with the expanseness of the room, the quiet was making the blond knight even more uncomfortable. Not knowing what to do, Ryouta fidgeted with his hands for a bit and subconsciously rested his left on the hilt of his blade. His finger tapped away on it, trying to fill this empty void with some sort of sound.

Yukio, upon seeing this, saw this as not a sign of restlessness, but as the Yellow Knight itching to battle. With a slight raise of a brow, Kasamatsu asked, "You wanna spar, Kise?"

The question caught the knight off guard – which was ironic to say the least. The blond guard flinched at the noble's words and looked down at him with wide eyes. He ran different responses of declining in his head, but they all seemed to yield the same results of him being kicked or things far worse. Not wanting those to be the outcome, Kise nodded his head silently flashing the smallest of smiles.

When Ryouta appeared a bit sheepish like that – _Yukio didn't know why_ – the prince couldn't help but think it looked adorable; like a puppy asking for permission. But as soon as the thought arose, Kasamatsu shook it off as he grabbed his katana from its sheath. Kise followed the noble's movements and brought out his bastard sword. Yukio had to try hard to not gawk in awe. The weapon really was a master piece. The dark metal gleamed in the sunlight beautifully, which was an odd thing to say to a thing that's probably been stained with blood multiple times in its career.

The blade was ten times wider than Kasamatsu's own sword and almost twice as long. The hilt was worn down to a point where grooves were indented in the leather right where the Yellow Knight held it. The weapon seemed like it weighed a ton, but Ryouta swung it around as if it was weightless.

The noble's brow furrowed further, as he got into a fighting stance. His steely blue eyes met with warm brown ones. Yukio final thought before charging the Knight of Miracles was, _What am I getting myself into?_

* * *

 **Did I mention that this is going to be a slow-burn story? Well, their sexual tension is going to be growing and intensifying for a while!**

 **Also, I'm not saying that these works are in progress right now, but I had the thought of making this part of a series where we get to see all the lives of all the Miracles and their princes(ses).**

 **Tell me what you guys think on that idea as well as what you thought about with this chapter! If there are any errors please tell me! I want this to be some of the best writing I've got!**

 **Thanks lovelies~!**

 **Stay awesome ^^**


	5. A Knight's Destiny

~~~ Chapter 5 ~~~

A Knight's Destiny

Yukio's breathing was heavy. His body quaked as he took many uneven, laboring breaths. He let out a particularly rough sigh as he tried to push back but was only met with Ryouta's blinding smirk. Kasamatsu couldn't help but let out a groan as he was pushed further onto the floor. Kise kept his blazing gaze on the noble's squirming form. Kasamatsu had to squeeze his eyes shut to get those golden, brown orbs to get away from him; however, he could still feel the burning stare on his body.

Sweat lined black and blond hair as the two's bodies were pressed against each other. Yukio couldn't help but let out another groan as Ryouta pushed harder and harder. Kasamatsu ground his teeth to keep from any more noises coming out of his mouth, but it was futile and both knew it.

"Kasamatsucchi," Kise breathed. His breath was hot on the prince's already flaming skin. Yukio, hesitantly, peaked open an eye to look up at the knight above him.

With deep breaths, he answered, "What?" It came out much hoarser than he would've wished.

"You ready to give up?" the blond chuckled.

"Not on your life, brat!" the raven haired male spat.

"But there's no way you can push me off you."

"Yeah, you're right. It's cause your ass is so huge!"

"Ah, so mean!"

Yukio actually chuckled as the one above him whined.

With another push, Kasamatsu tried to get Kise off his person. The effort proved fruitless, and the noble slammed the back of his head on the polished ground with yet another groan of frustration.

Somehow, the prince and knight's spar turned into a wrestling match. Kise was able to disarm Kasamatsu after a while of sparing with each other – which took a lot longer than Kise would've expected, thus sent a major dent to the guard's pride. However, the win was counted and the Yellow Knight flaunted his victory – like the child he was. Not content with the outcome, Kasamatsu challenged the blond to a more fair fight: arm wrestling, which soon turned into full out grapple. The blond knight proved to be good at this sort of sport as well, considering he's had the noble pinned under him for the past five minutes. Kasamatsu refuses to yield to the knight and continues to try and push the other off to no avail.

With an angered sigh, the raven haired prince finally said, "Fine, Kise. Damn. You win. Now _get off me_!"

The blond flashes a triumphant smile and rolls off the smaller male. When Kise's back hits the hard ground he can't help but flinch at the cold surface. It touches his heated and sweaty body, and the blond can't deny that it felt nice.

Kasamatsu let out a contempt sigh as soon as the knight was out of his personal space. He really thought he could beat him.

"So," Kise said to break the silence that was soon developing over the two, "you think I gotta big butt?"

Kasamatsu's face reheated – right when it was starting to go back to normal, too. His head snapped towards the blond next to him and teased (a lot snarkier than intended), "Yeah, it's _huuuge_. It shows how fat and lazy you are."

"Aw, don't be mean Kasamatsucchi!" the blond whined.

"Just tellin' the truth, and what did I say about callin' me that!?"

Ryouta just giggled at the other's words, which caused Yukio's face to heat up more. Gosh did Kise have a beautiful laugh. It was so light and airy. His smile made the corners of his eyes wrinkle ever so slightly and the smile itself brightened up that alluring face further. They were embarrassing thoughts, but Yukio couldn't help but think that Ryouta was one down-right beautiful man.

After his fit, Kise sat up and Kasamatsu followed. The two then put away their abandoned swords and walked out of the room together.

"That . . . was actually really fun, Kasamatsucchi," the Yellow Knight admitted as he walked nearly shoulder to shoulder with the prince.

"It was . . . wasn't it," the noble mused. He didn't remember the last time he dropped his barriers like that and joked around so lightheartedly with . . . anyone. Because of his title and his nature, it was hard to get the raven haired man to even chuckle. But, Kise got Kasamatsu to _laugh_ , to _smile_ , to let out that snarky side that he didn't even know he still had in him. It was more than fun.

Before the two knew it, it was time for lunch. The hour was indicated by a pair of deep bells ringing in the distance. The instruments struck twelve times. With a small smile, Prince Kasamatsu guided the blond to the dining room to share a meal. Kise was not one to decline the orders of his employer as well as a finely cooked meal.

As the two walked, the Yellow Knight kept up the light mood with some small talk. "So Kasamatsucchi, where did you learn to fight like that? It's a really unique battling style."

With a quirked brow, Yukio looked up to the blond male and stuttered, "O-oh, well, I was trained by my old sensei out east. It was before I was prince."

As the noble answered the younger male's question, the two walked into the dining room. The hall didn't have nearly as many windows as the rest of the manner making it look dimly lit. A long wooden table sat in the middle of the room which was surrounded by a multitude of beautifully carved chairs. Along with the rest of the manner, the dining hall was decorated in luxurious tapestry that hung from the walls; however, the art looked faded and old, just like the mansion itself. In front of the old works were newer sculptures and displayed paintings. They were done in such detail some of the marble busts looked real to the Yellow Knight. It made the blond's skin crawl but he couldn't deny how beautiful the works were. They were so life like.

Once the prince entered the room, he took a seat at the head of the table. Kasamatsu gestured for Kise to sit next to him, which he did. Ryouta would've admired the room to further extent, however, he was still caught up on the words of the noble. It wasn't hard to put two and two together for the blond, and the answer to that equation was shocking.

" _You_ were once a knight!?" the blond exclaimed as he sat on the wooden seat. It was much more comfortable than he anticipated.

The way Kise said it made it sound like Kasamatsu's words were those of a witch's. Was it so hard to believe that Yukio was once a knight? It wasn't uncommon for a personal guard to take the place of his employer! The noble's thoughts of annoyance toward Kise showed on his face through a scowl and narrowing of eyes.

The blond flinched at the look and tried to correct his words. "I-I mean, I had no idea Kasamatsucchi was once a personal guard . . ."

"Why is it so hard to believe?" the noble asked as a set of servants brought out the two's food.

With a shrug, Kise answered, "Um, I don't know. It's just that you seem like the type of person who was just born into royalty, ya know? You really seem to fit that sort of stereotype of regal elegance. _Which is not bad by any means!_ "

"Uh-hu," Kasamatsu huffed as he took a bit from the smoked pig.

Kise shut himself up by stuffing his face with some steamed vegetables. The taste wasn't too bad, but the food didn't compare to that of the Shadow Kingdom. In the midst of his chewing, Ryouta realized that he compared a lot of Kasamatsu's kingdom to Kuroko's, and he didn't know why. It might've been because the Shadow Kingdom had been his home for so long, or that everything just seemed to different from the other kingdom that comparing the two was just a way to familiarize himself with these new lands. Whatever it was, Kise realized he didn't like it. He felt a sort of guilt every time he thought this wasn't as good as that. He didn't know why he was suddenly feeling like this. He's been confused about a lot of things lately. He blamed it on his sudden residence change.

Clearing his throat – as well as mind – Kise tried to divert from the sour tone of Kasamatsu's face. "Uh, well, when did you become prince? Heh, I mean, you're really young! So you must've been even younger than me when you were a personal guard, right?"

Setting his fork down, Kasamatsu answered, "You're half right, brat." Throwing formalities out the window, the prince bent over on the table and rested his elbows on the wooden surface and hunched his back. He didn't know why he wanted to tell Kise this – honestly boring – tale about himself, but he wanted to be casual with the blond for some reason. "It's a long story, you sure you want to hear it?" the prince asked, giving Kise an escape route just in case he was going to bore the blond.

Ryouta's face brightened as he replied, "Oh no! Now I really want to hear it Kasamatsucchi!"

The prince sighed out of annoyance of his new nickname and from his personal guard's antics. How the knight had this much energy was beyond him, but it was endearing enough to make the words come out of the prince's throat.

"Okay. Well, I'm actually not native to these lands. I come from further southeast than here. I grew up with my family on a little farm; I had two older brothers and a younger sister. We were pretty poor and could barely feed ourselves. Nothing ever happened there – believe me – but one day a man visited our farm and asked for a place to rest his head for the night. With reluctance, my parents agreed and allowed the stranger to say _one_ night, thinking that no harm could come of them if they did so.

"The following day, we discovered that the man was a highly renowned knight from an enemy kingdom. Because our family showed kindness to him when everyone else only shunned him, he allowed one of my parent's kin to become his apprentice. Thinking it would be one less mouth to feed, they sent me away without a second thought. I was only eight at the time.

"After years of training, my sensei sent me to be a real knight at the age of fourteen in this kingdom. I served for the previous prince, Prince Takeuchi, for a while and even managed to work my way up the ranks to personal guard. However, one year, the previous prince fell ill with – what was found out months later – gout. Because the man never had an heir, I became the new prince once he passed."

Yukio realized that he never once looked at Kise when telling the story. It was odd to talk about yourself in such a way to someone you hardly know. Once the black haired noble finished his story, he looked up to see the blond on the edge of his seat. He was listening so intently, and was even waiting for more.

Kasamatsu cleared his throat as his face heated up; having Kise's complete attention made him squirm for some reason. "Anyway, it's not like it's uncommon or anything for a personal guard to take his employers place after they die. It's what a personal guard is for," Yukio finished, lamely.

He picked up his fork again full of meat and shoved it in his mouth, hoping the blond knight didn't see his flustered state. What was ironic was that because of the noble's uncomfortable feelings it made Kasamatsu's face redden even more. The first thought that ran though his mind was: _why was Kise making me feel like every little thing I do is judged?_ The second was: _I am a trained prince in the ways of formality, yet here I am acting like the commoner I once was. Get your act together Kasamatsu!_

* * *

 **Here is the part in which it diverts from history. Of course in actual history today knights couldn't ascend into nobility unless they were married into it or achieved higher status. I tweaked this part of history for the sake of the plot. THIS DIDN'T REALLY HAPPEN IN HISTORY!**

 **There will also be other instances in which history isn't completely correct in this story, and has happened already for those who didn't notice, but this was the biggest offender.**

 **Also, no one has guessed correctly what time period this story supposedly takes place in, and I will say outright that it doesn't take place in medieval times. It may appear that way, but it isn't. More hints and clues will be sprinkled throughout the story of the time period, but I'm thinking if the correct time period isn't guessed in the next chapter then I will just tell y'all ^^**

 **Please leave a review to tell me what you guys think! I want this to be some of the best writing I've got, so criticism is welcomed!**

 **Stay awesome ^^**


	6. Visitors

~~~ Chapter 6 ~~~

Visitors

"I can't believe you didn't tell me Midorimacchi was coming to visit!" Kise whined in a scolding manor as he put on his golden armor. He fastened all the buckles and put everything in place hastily, and anytime he saw so much as a fleck of dirt he brushed it off hastily.

"Now, I never said that your friend was coming to visit, Kise. I simply said that members from the Hawkeye Kingdom were coming here to discuss our current treaty," Kasamatsu informed as he buttoned up his regal blue vest over a long, white sleeve shirt. "I don't know if this 'Midorimacchi' is even going to be coming. In fact, I don't know who will be arriving today, just the fact that they are from the neighboring western country."

Kise huffed at the news as he secured the remaining piece of armor onto his body. Although, due to the extremely late information given, he wasn't entirely satisfied with his appearance – there were a few dents in the golden metal and he really thought he needed a hair cut – but it would have to do.

The blond knight turned to see the prince was also nearly done dressing himself. The black haired man had his back towards the knight, which only encouraged brown eyes to stare at the form in front of him. Yukio threw a long coat over his shoulders and secured the buttons in place. The clothing clung tightly to the man's form showing off the male's narrow waist and strong shoulders. The coat – deep blue with a golden, intricate trim – showed off both the prince's prestige and elegancy. Kasamatsu added the final touch, a simple golden crown with small sapphires embedded within it, and with that Yukio looked like the most powerful and noble man Kise has ever seen.

Ryouta, after months of serving the prince thus far, has grown quite accustom to the short, black haired noble. In the several months the Yellow Knight has been in the noble's manor, the guard has done well to maintain the prince's safety – the attacks were merely getting worse, but Kise wouldn't let a soul touch the noble. But other than the job at hand, Kise found that he simply enjoyed that atmosphere of this realm. Back in the Shadow Kingdom, everything had been a sort of unspoken competition between the Knights of Miracles. Here, things seemed much more relaxed – even though half the time Kise was running around from his lands to the manor then to Kasamatsu's side. It was still hectic, to say the least, but Ryouta would've have traded it for the world – and it was simply a bonus that his boss was quite attractive (yes, he acknowledges that he has developed a sort of crush on the noble, and he isn't upset in the least about it).

Snapping his head away from the prince's form, Ryouta tries to focus himself. He promised the prince, prior to, that he would be on his best behavior for the newcomers. The blond knew he had the tendency to get over excited and scare some people off, so he made the pact to not act like an overactive puppy – as the prince put it. He didn't know if he could keep the promise, but he would certainly try.

Turning around and brushing some imaginary dirt from his cloths, Prince Kasamatsu faced the Yellow Knight with a stern yet calm face. Readjusting the white gloves on his hands the noble looked up at Kise and asked, "Well? What do you think? Too formal, not enough?"

The blond had to clear his throat, look away from the prince, and clear his head before he talked or he was sure something dumb would've come out of his mouth. To say that the black haired prince looked bad in anything would be impossible. With these formal robes, Kasamatsu looked like a million _ducats_. With a shake of his head to clear his thoughts, Kise replied in a manner in which seemed casual for the blond, "You look great Kasamatsucchi! But how do _I_ look? I really wanted to get my armor waxed and I think I need a haircut, badly. Do I look too terrible Kasamatsucchi, be honest!"

Kasamatsu – at first, flattered by the blond's words – sighed in aggravation and endearment. Everything would be ruined if Kise's looks were off, apparently. The prince rolled his eyes at that thought, but was touched nonetheless.

The noble walked over to the Yellow Knight and flicked him on the forehead playfully. The blond whined at the action while Kasamatsu just smiled. Reaching out towards Kise, Yukio jostled the straps on the golden metal. "Your breast plate is crocked, ya idiot."

Kise smiled down at the noble. "Thanks Kasamatsucchi."

"I told you not to call me that – especially in front of our guests; I would never hear the end of it if we're going to be meeting who I think we are." The second phrase was an afterthought for the prince, but Kise took it into consideration whether he wanted to embarrass the black haired noble or not.

Deciding to be nice, Kise stood tall and silent as the prince from the neighboring kingdom arrived. Both the noble and his guard waited at the entrance to the manner, watching as the men on horseback made their way through the village.

Two knights road side by side, both carrying banners holding the Hawkeye Kingdom's crest. Behind the two was presumably the prince himself. He wore regal clothing – which was much more orange and flashy in comparison to Kasamatsu's attire – and rode elegantly as he waved to the crowd. Behind him were three more knights. The two on the outside looked to be standard guards, but the one in the middle was something else.

Kise knew who it was right away. He restrained himself from screaming to the knight – he promised to be good. So instead, he watched his friend ride closer and closer. Even from this distance Kise could see the shining green armor. It stuck out like a sore thumb in comparison to the other knights' dull silver steel. Ryouta could even spot the man's lucky item, which was apparently a pig's skin – much to the blond's disgust.

As the new prince arrived, he hopped off his horse – which was then handed over to a stable boy – and made his way over to Prince Kasamatsu. Now that he was closer, Kise got a better look at who he was dealing with, and he must say that he was a bit shocked.

Ryouta knew that Yukio was young for a prince. It was obvious and there was nothing wrong with that, for even the blond wasn't as old as the noble. However, the prince of the Hawkeye Kingdom was even younger, maybe even younger than the blond himself. The Hawkeye prince had such a carefree smile and such clear, wide eyes that made him look incredibly youthful. Even the way he styled his hair reminded Ryouta of an adolescent. The knight guessed to himself that the prince was about eighteen, maybe even more so.

"Hello Prince Kasamatsu," the Hawkeye noble greeted with a courteous bow.

"Greeting Prince Takao," Kasamatsu responded with a smile, "I am pleasantly surprised that you are the representative I have to converse with."

"Yes, because this is an important matter – but not quite so where the king must come himself – I, his son, had to come instead."

"In which I am nothing but grateful. Please, come inside." Kasamatsu then gestured for the other black haired prince to follow the noble into his manner. All the other knights dismounted and followed their employer, including a certain green haired knight.

Kise discreetly waited for the Green Knight to catch up to him before he too followed his prince inside. In a quiet voice, Kise said, "It's good to see you again, Midorimacchi!"

Without even sparing a glance to the blond, or showing any signs of surprise, Midorima responded, "Don't call me by that ridiculous name, fool."

"Geez, I'm just trying to be friendly, Midorimacchi."

"Well, that is unnecessary. We are working. Be professional."

"What's the fun in that?" the blond giggled. But he didn't press anything further.

When both princes and all the knights were in the manner – and the doors were closed away from prying eyes – Prince Takao did something quite unexpected.

"Holy crap, Kasamatsu! It's been too long!" the noble screamed as he flung an arm around the blue eyed noble's shoulders.

Kise was waiting for the moment Yukio would explode and throw the smaller prince off him, but his prince did the exact opposite. "It's good to see you too, kid," he chuckled as he ruffled the other noble's hair. Prince Takao laughed at the gesture and pushed Kasamatsu away playfully.

"Oh, I gotta introduce you to my new personal guard!" Turning to the green haired knight, the prince yelled, "Shin-chan get over here!"

The man visibly flinched at the name, something that didn't go unnoticed to brown eyes.

With a snicker, Kise asked in a quiet tone, "'Shin-chan'?"

A blush covered the knight's cheeks and he glared at his employer. "Shut up, Kise," the Green Knight hissed as he stomped over to the noble. Kise couldn't help but let out a laugh as he followed to stand behind to his own prince.

"Kasamatsu, this is Shin-chan –"

"Sir Midorima Shintarou of the Knight of Miracles," the knight corrected.

"But he's my new personal guard! I kinda stole him from my dad's personal army, but whatever, right? He's the best, but he doesn't wanna admit that; he's shy and it's adorable."

"Shut up, Takao."

"And get this! He's even a Knight of Miracles, isn't that cool?"

Ryouta couldn't help but laugh at the exchange. This prince was really something else. He was so much different than any other noble he's met; they were all so uptight and formal. This guy acted like such a child, it was amazing the male could act with such courtesy when it mattered.

Kasamatsu seemed to find the young prince entertaining as well, for he chuckled at his antics and replied, "That certainly is interesting, but I'm unfazed." The other noble's brows crinkled and was about to interject, but Yukio continued, "Only 'cause I got a Miracle of my own." He then jabbed his finger towards Kise with a proud smile. A smile in which warmed Kise's heart. "Sir Kise Ryouta of the Knights of Miracles."

Prince Takao's mouth dropped. "Y-you're a Miracle too?" Before the blond got a chance to respond, the short noble turned to Midorima and scolded, "Why didn't you tell me we were going to meet another Miracle, Shin-chan! I wanted to look impressive in front of Kasamatsu!"

"I wasn't aware of Kise's position here," the green haired knight stated matter-of-factly.

The prince groaned and Kasamatsu simple patted the poor soul on the back. With that small exchange over, Yukio lead his guests further into the manner.

Kise followed closely behind, realizing that he liked this new, quirky prince. Although what the Yellow Knight found interesting was that the Green Knight seemed on edge. The bow in his hand – the one that wasn't holding that nasty pig's skin – tightened every so often. Those methodical eyes scanned everything over thick frames. Even through thick metal, Kise could see how tense the green haired guard was.

Wanting to put his friend's odd nerves at ease, Kise said, "You don't have to worry about Prince Takao. He's safe here in the manner. People hardly ever attack indoors and during broad daylight." It didn't take a philosopher to realize what the green haired male was thinking, and with the way he looked at the blond he would say that he hit his mark.

Without skipping a beat, or even sparing Ryouta a glance, Midorima replied, "That hasn't stopped them before."

Kise didn't quite know how to respond to that. It's true that Kasamatsu was a target for assassins, but those guys weren't dumb enough to try and penetrate such a stronghold. However, with what Midorima said, and how he acted, it made Kise believe that over in his kingdom things weren't that simple. Did someone attack Prince Takao before? Was it in a similar circumstance as this – visiting a neighboring kingdom? There were many questions out there that Kise knew would never be answered, so he didn't entertain them for long.

The knights continued to follow their employers to the dining hall, in which a meal was already set for the bunch. Kasamatsu sat at the head of the dark wooded table – per the norm – with Ryouta to his right – which was also custom. The Hawkeye Prince sat to the nobles left and Midorima sat next to Kise, and all other seats were filled in by the other prince's guards.

Kise felt bad for not conversing much with his prince, but Kasamatsu was otherwise occupied with his guest. The two talked about times before Ryouta, stories and tales he's never heard but the two shared with nostalgia. The Yellow Knight almost felt a pang of jealously, that was until he realized that he was doing the same thing but with the Green Knight.

The blond wouldn't stop talking to Midorima, much to his distain, about what he was doing now, stories of the past, how's life has been, and such. However, the green haired knight wasn't much for conversation considering how much he found the blond knight annoying. The one sided conversation – with Midorima's added "Shut up, Kise" every so often – was halted when the Yellow Knight picked up words concerning the two Miracles.

"Ya know, I don't care how well he's protected you, Kasamatsu. There's no way Sir Kise is better than my Shin-chan!" the Hawkeye Prince stated.

"Oh, please," Prince Kasamatsu interjected to the other noble, "I get that being an archer is great 'n all, but when it comes down to brute strength Kise is clearly better."

"How would you know? You've never seen Shin-chan fight!"

"Oh yeah? Well then, why don't we find out right now?"

"That sounds like a great idea to me!" Abruptly standing up, Prince Takao turned to his personal guard, who was still minding his own business, with a sparkle in his eye. "Come one Shin-chan! It's time to kick some ass!"

Instead of agreeing with the noble, the knight stated matter-of-factly, "Watch your language; you are a prince." However, the green haired man got up and followed his employer. The other knights also stood and followed the smaller prince. Kise wondered if that lot knew where they were going.

Kasamatsu then stood and looked over to Kise, whom was watching the exchange with an amused expression. "Come Kise," the noble said, returning to his more formal vernacular (even if it was short lived), "we gotta show that brat up."

Kise smiled up to his prince and agreed, "Yeah. Actually, it's been a while since Midorimacchi and I have competed. This is going to be fun!"

With a nod, Kasamatsu lead the two away with Kise following close behind. Because of his back to the blond, Yukio missed the endearing smile on the blond's face. He simply couldn't help it; he felt so appreciated. Watching the prince fight for Kise's honor and manly hood like that made him feel like he wasn't underappreciated, that Kasamatsu truly cared for him and didn't see him as just some guard – not that the blond has ever had these thoughts before. It was just reassuring to know that he was truly cared for. That thought alone made him as smiley as a child.

After Prince Takao got lost within the mansion, Prince Kasamatsu led the way to the garden for the two Miracles to spar. Or at least that's what the two princes had in mind.

"What? What do you mean you won't fight each other?" the younger prince whined as he looked to the two knights.

"Don't be ridiculous, Takao," Midorima scolded, "If we were to spar, Kise would obviously win due to his extensive knowledge with a sword."

"But you can fight with a sword too!" Takao tried to defend.

"But not nearly as well."

The two bickered back and forth like an old couple. Kise couldn't help but fine it endearing. He's never seen the green haired knight talk to someone with such familiarity, not even to anyone in the Shadow Kingdom. Sure the Green knight was reprimanding his employer – which didn't seem like the smartest thing to do, in retrospect – but the way he talked to the other noble was completely different than how he regarded the Knights of Miracles. It was difficult to explain, but Ryouta saw it clearly.

"Don't worry, Prince Takao," Kise interrupted, "We can still have our duel. We can just try to hit targets is all."

"Kise?" Yukio questioned with a quark of his brow.

"Don't worry," the blond whispered to the prince with a wink.

With that, servants came out with hay bale targets for the two knights. Putting down the pig's skin and placing a quiver on his hip, Midorima walked in front of one of the targets that was placed roughly fifty meters away. Apparently, the length wasn't quite enough for the green haired archer for he huffed in annoyance and took a few paces backward, furthering himself from the target.

Satisfied with the distance, the Green Knight stood perpendicular to the target with his feet shoulder width apart. He examined his target with those methodical eyes as he fidgeted with the elegantly carved bow in his hand. Midorima grabbed three arrows from his quiver, one held in crook of his fingers. The arrow heads shined brightly in the afternoon light as he lifted them to the bow that was positioned in front of his body. The knight notched one arrow to the bow string and pulled back swiftly and elegantly. Anchoring the pull to his mouth, the green haired man took one last calming breath before releasing the arrow. As the projectile flew, Midorima notched the next arrow and fired it in the same rapid manner, as well as the third. The three shots flew in the air simultaneously and with deadly accuracy. The first arrow came into contact with the center of the bale, piercing it right though the middle. The second arrow whizzed through the air, it then came into contact with the first, splitting it in two perfectly. If that wasn't enough to impress, the third projectile proceeded to cut the second in half as well with a pleasing _snap_.

As soon as the third arrow landed it's mark, Midorima lowered his bow with pride; however, he expected nothing less. The crowd watching – which consisted of the visiting prince's assembly as well as some of Kasamatsu's guards and staff – was stunned into silence. Yukio was aware of the awesome power of the Hawkeye archers, but he had no idea this was the power of a Miracle within those boarders. He really shouldn't be surprised for he's seen, on more than one occasion, Kise fight and that was impressive on its own. The prince supposed he was in such shock due to having never seen an event such as this before.

Takao was the first to break the silence that enveloped everyone. "Yeah! That's my Shin-chan!" the prince bragged as he sat atop a shaded chair. He leaned back and nudged the other noble with his elbow and continued, "See that, Kasamatsu? Now _that_ is power!"

Yukio gulped and agreed unsteadily, "Y-yes."

Kise scoffed. All eyes turned to the blond, who was leaning against his sword in what appeared to be boredom. Ryouta would admit that it was a cool parlor trick – and that accuracy was deadly in battle – but he's seen it far too many times for it to be considered impressive anymore.

What the Yellow Knight had in mind seemed a lot cooler to him.

Stepping forward, Kise put himself not nearly as far as Midorima. _This trick would be cool even from this distance,_ the blond thought. Rolling his shoulders and taking deep breaths, the knight prepared his muscles for the attempt.

Prince Kasamatsu leaned forward in his seat. _What was he planning on doing? Was . . . was the knight really going to try and . . . ?_

He lifted the bastard sword with his right hand aimed with his left. After a moment of targeting, the blond pulled back his arm to a point in which the tip of the weapon brushed against the blades of grass. With a feral grunt, Kise chucked the sword towards the hay bale. The blade spun in wide circles through the air towards the target. Everyone gasped as the sword was launched towards the bale as it made a wide arch through the sky. However, and Ryouta knew this fact, his accuracy wasn't nearly as precise as the Green Knight's. As the sword neared the target, the blond swordsman could see that he was off. The blade slammed into the dirt a few inches away from the designated target.

The blond was disappointed that he couldn't hit the hay bale, but at least he was able to get the distance correct.

Kise sighed and slumped ever so slightly as he stared at his blade. He pursed his lips at the sight. He turned to his prince, expecting to see a look of disapproval on his face, but only saw awe, in everyone's face actually. He even turned to Midorima who was simply staring at him with wide eyes.

Oddly, it was the quiet Green Knight who said anything first. "Are you an idiot?" he asked with a shake of his head.

Not expecting that sort of rude response, Kise whined, "What the heck, Midorimacchi! You have to admit, that was pretty impressive!"

"But how on earth is that practical?"

"When have we ever talked about practicality?! When will splitting two arrows ever be handy?"

"It shows precision."

"Well, my trick shows I gotta mean swing!"

Yukio could only stare at the two bicker, and at the sword that was fifty meters away. How on earth had Kise managed that? It . . . it was simply _impossible_ , yet the blond managed to throw his weapon across his lawn like he'd been practicing the act. It may not seem practical to the green haired knight, but the endeavor indeed prove Kise's strength. That bastard sword was heavy. Even throwing a light object that far is impressive.

But this . . . this just seemed _monstrous_.

* * *

 **Sorry for the delay, but here's an extra long chapter for you all.**

 **There is one major hint as to what time period this takes place in. Because I really have faith in y'all I have a little challenge. The first person to guess correctly the time period will get a one shot from me (I know I have made a promise like this in the past; however, this time it shall be different because it will only be one prize instead of, like, ten).**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I hope to get the next one up as soon as possible. Please leave me some feedback to tell me what you thought. I'm always looking to improve my writing, so don't be shy.**

 **Stay awesome! ^^**


	7. A Whole New World

**I'm sorry for the delay. As a appeasement for your rage, please accept this extremely long chapter.**

 **Enjoy~!**

* * *

~~~ Chapter 7 ~~~

A Whole New World

Ryouta was bored.

The day started out promising but his interest level has been decreasing ever since the two knight's competition of sorts. Now, back in the safety of Kasamatsu's castle, the two princes were seated at a wooded table discussing politics. The thought alone made Kise want to take a nap. So naturally, the blond spaced out during the whole duration of the meeting, unlike a certain green haired knight who was actively listening and even adding his own input.

There were few instances which peaked the Yellow Knight's interest, however. But because he wasn't paying attention, the dialogue didn't quite make sense.

"So, how's that whole Machiavelli-thing going, Kasamatsu? Are they rioting like I predicted?" Prince Takao asked. The second statement was said with a harshness the blond has yet to hear until now, but he didn't think too much of for he was curious as to what the two nobles were discussing.

"A-actually, the people are taking it rather fine," the black haired prince answered after a brief hesitation, "it's the other princes that worry me. None of them approve of my choices, which isn't a surprise. But speaking of riots, how is your country? I heard there's a lot of chaos over there."

Prince Takao explained his situation to the other noble. It sounded horrible, but Kise was starting to lose interest again. However, one thought kept poking at the back of the knight's mind: what was Prince Takao talking about? 'Machiavelli-thing'? What was that?

Kise decided to ask about that in further detail with the prince once their meeting was over. However, that sort of task proved to be a test of Kise's patience. On more than one occasion, the blond found himself whining about the situation. Midorima would roll his eyes and expect nothing less from the other knight. Takao would laugh and agree – to which he would be scolded by his personal guard. Then there was Kasamatsu who got so fed up with Kise's behavior he _sent him to wait outside_. At first, the Yellow Knight was all but pleased to get out of the boring room – he felt like it was starting to infect him – but then got upset at the fact that he was kicked out like a child.

Even though he was cross with his employer's choices, he waited outside the meeting room patiently. Well, 'patiently' shouldn't be the word he uses considering he goofed around with his sword the entire time.

When the two princes – plus Midorima – finally exited the room, Kise pretended like he'd been waiting the whole time with a smile for his façade. Both his employer and the Green Knight saw through the blond's antics clearly, but Takao wasn't nearly as sharp – much to Kise's entertainment.

With a roll of his eyes, Kasamatsu ignores the Yellow Knight for a moment. He calls out, "Moriyama!"

Within seconds, the squire comes to the noble's aid. "Yes, Prince Kasamatsu?"

"Please escort our guests to one of our _many_ guest rooms," the black haired male ordered.

The squire bowed and lead the two away, but Kise didn't miss the roll of the other noble's eyes. The blond himself caught what his prince did – subtly showing off. It made the blond smile; to think even The Great Kasamatsu played the 'who's horse is bigger' game.

When the guests were out of ear shot, the black haired prince turned and headed for his own quarters. Kise wasn't too far behind. Fidgeting as he walked, the blond knight tried to think of casual ways of bringing up that Machi-something-thing. He didn't let go of that little tidbit of information from before because it baffled the guard. When the question was posed toward the noble, Kise saw Kasamatsu tense slightly, saw the split-second crinkle of his brow. Because Ryouta spent so much time with the prince, he was able to pick up these small things here and there and know exactly what they meant. The Machi-something was a touchy topic, which is why Kasamatsu opted to change the subject so quickly, but Kise still wanted to know _why_. He knew it wasn't his place to pry, but he simply couldn't stop his curiosity.

"So, Kasamatsucchi," the knight started, "h-how long have you known Prince Takao?" he asked. He decided to start with a more causal subject before he went into dangerous waters. "I mean, you two seem really close."

"I've known him since his coronation, which was . . ." the noble paused in thought, adding the years, "Whoa, has it really been three years already? He was sixteen when he was crowned."

"How old were you?" Kise asked before he could filter the question.

The prince gave him a look, but answered anyway, "I was twenty-one."

Ryouta couldn't help but widen his eyes as he quickly did the math in his head. "You're twenty-four?!"

Kasamatsu's face reddened. The way the blond stated the fact made the noble feel old, even if he had no right to. Twenty-four was still quite young! The prince gave the younger male a sharp look – face still heated – and hit him upside the head. "Don't sound so surprised, brat!"

Rubbing the sore spot, Kise continued, trying to remedy his mistake, "I didn't mean to say you're old, Kasamatsucchi! I just didn't know!"

The prince scoffed at the blond, but didn't say anything further.

A silence surrounded the two as they made their way down the halls towards their chambers. Much time has passed during their meeting as the sun was starting to take its decent down the sky. The light cast a nice silhouette of the noble as he walked down the corridors with such swagger that it was hard for Kise to keep the conversations going – all he wanted to do was stare at the attractive prince.

Forcing himself to speak, he spit out the words he's been dying to ask, "What was that thing you and Prince Takao were talking about?"

Looking over to his knight, Kasamatsu raised a brow. "You're going to have to be more specific than that, Kise. We discussed multiple topics."

Shaking his head, the blond tried to clarify, "I mean that thing with the . . . uh, Machi-something. What is that?" Kise tried.

The prince chuckled, "Not a 'what', Kise, a 'who' and it is _Machiavelli_."

"Yeah, that!" Kise said with a snap of his fingers, "Who's that?"

The smile that appeared on the noble's face dissipated slightly. The two reached their rooms quite conveniently – in Yukio's opinion – as he then scanned the area around the two and ushered the knight into his quarters.

Closing the wooded door behind him, Kasamatsu took a deep breath. Talking politics to a guy who doesn't understand the subject is going to be difficult. He rubbed a gloved hand over his face and gestured for the knight to take a seat. Ryouta sat on the edge of the noble's bed and the prince joined him.

"What do you know of a book called _The Prince_ , Kise?" Yukio asked in a serious manner.

"Um," Ryouta stammered, "I know that it's a book!"

Whacking the blond upside the head, Kasamatsu glared at the knight. "Don't get smart with me!" The blond muttered a lame apology as he rubbed his throbbing skull, as the noble continued, "Anyway, _The Prince_ is a book written by Niccolò Machiavelli – a scholarly man of the south. The book in which he published is a guide for nobles stating how they should rule. He said that princes should be cunning – and boarder line cruel – but all in the name of their people. The people should not hate the prince even though the prince should rule this way."

Ryouta was having trouble following, but he thought he had the gist of it. He thought it was nice of the noble to give a watered down version of the book though.

The blond nodded. "Okay, I think I get it. But what does this have to do with you?"

With a sigh, Yukio rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I'm trying to implicate those teachings now. However, I'm having a hard time with the whole 'the people shouldn't hate you' part among other things that I'm apparently getting wrong from the book.

"Now I'm not saying that I'm going to follow Machiavelli's words to a 'T' but I do believe that the man holds some truth to his words. It's just that the people don't seem to think so – and neither do other princes, especially them. Also don't like how I've changed so much after taking some of his advice. I mean, if the people don't like it then what's the point? But . . . I don't know; I really think that Machiavelli's right."

Kasamatsu was rambling on at this point, but he didn't care. He had to get some of this stuff off his chest. It was nice vent out to someone, and Kise was a good listener. The whole time, the blond knight never took his eyes off the black haired noble. He looked genuinely interested in what Yukio had to say. Plus if Ryouta was bored then he would say it and tell the noble to stop, but he never did.

When Kasamatsu was done, he heaved a heavy sigh and fell back onto his sheets. He placed his hands on his stomach and closed his eyes. It was times like these when the noble realized how stressed out he was. Like he noticed the heavy fall of his eye lids and how he could feel his eyes sink to the back of his skull.

It was now that he was thinking how simple his life would have been if he had just stayed on his family farm. Would it be a good life? Of course not, and it definitely wouldn't be this glamorous, but indeed simple. He wouldn't trade his life for the world, but it was interesting to dream.

Opening his eyes, Kasamatsu looked to find Ryouta staring at him, unmoving. His face heated up – for reasons he couldn't place – and sat up. Stretching out his back, Yukio said, "Oi, Kise. I'm really tired. I'm going to bed early today, okay?"

The blond flinched, as if woken from a trance. He made a little noise of surprise but recovered quickly by saying, "O-oh, okay! That's totally fine Kasamatsucchi!" He then flashed the prince a beautiful smile – which caused the red to deepen on the black haired noble's face. However, the blond didn't move. He kept staring right into Yukio's steely eyes and with that dopy – adorable – grin. Kasamatsu tried to pull away – break eye contact – bout found that he couldn't. Those stunning brown orbs were too gripping.

Swallowing loudly, Yukio stuttered out, "U-uh."

"Yes Kasamatsucchi?" the blond muttered thickly.

The noble breathed out, "I-I said I was going to bed . . ."

Brown eyes fluttered at the words, not seeming to understand. However, after a moment of realization, those orbs widened. Kise sprang to his feat and laughed nervously. He scratched the back of his head as he apologized, "Ah! Sorry Kasamatsucchi! I-I wasn't thinking! He he! I-I'll let you sleep now! Good night!"

As the blond talked, he inched his way closer and closer towards the door until he had it opened and slipped out embarrassedly. What was he thinking? He was just staring at the prince so openly! But that was just it; Ryouta wasn't thinking. As soon as he made eye contact with those big blue eyes, the knight's brain just shut down. It was as if nothing else mattered than those misty pools. They sucked him in and left his body, a hollow shell. He could stare at those eyes forever.

But now that he was outside, he couldn't help but feel his face engulf in flames. What was he thinking?! That was so embarrassing! Why couldn't Ryouta leave when he was subtly prompted, like any other person would!? Kise slumped against the door and buried his face in his hands. The cool skin met ones that were aflame, taking away some of the heat. He took a few breaths to calm his pulse and calmly walked to his room to get out of the suddenly stiff clothing.

When the wooden barricade was sealed, Yukio couldn't help but let out a breath of a laugh. He didn't know why, but as soon as the knight left his heartbeat thumped far too loudly in his chest.

* * *

"Oi, Kise! I said get up! OI!"

"I'm awaaaake!"

"No you're not. Get up, you buffoon."

A splash of cold water hit Ryouta's face making the blond's brain snap awake. Kise flung himself out of bed and slammed his head right into another's. A groan escaped both mouths as they both rubbed the throbbing area.

"Idiot," the other hissed out of his teeth.

"I'm sorry! That's why you don't wake up people with freezing water!" the blond tried to justify.

Kise blinked a few times, trying to adjust to the dark lighting, to find Midorima on the edge of his bed rubbing his forehead. Rubbing his eyes, just so he knew he wasn't still dreaming, Ryouta mumbled, "Midorimacchi? What are you doing here?"

It was difficult to see in the dark, but it was obvious to see the green haired knight push up his glasses before he spoke. "I just thought you wanted to know the whereabouts of your prince."

The matter-of-fact tone was not appreciated to the blond this late in the evening. Shaking his head, the Yellow Knight said, "What? What are you talking about, Midorimacchi? Kasamatsucchi is right next door! He's sleeping like I just was!" With that he flopped back down on his pillow and closed his eyes. Hopefully all this was just a bad dream and Ryouta was still dreaming.

"Oh, really? Well, then why do I see him scaling the fence out of the manor's boarders?"

The knight's eyes shot open once again, "What?!" Scrambling out of the sheets – and falling to the cold floor in the process – Ryouta rushed to his windowsill to see the Green Knight's words were true.

The way the noble ran – what having run a few laps for exercise with him – was unmistakable. Because of the moon's radiant light, the Yellow Knight was able to make out the prince's running figure, which was shrouded in a cloak, towards the boarding gate that lined the castle's land. Another person seemed to be with the prince – a form brown eyes couldn't recognize from this distance.

Kise turned back to the green haired knight and nearly shouted, "What is he doing?!"

"Going on one of Takao's night-escapades, is my guess," the Green Knight said matter-of-factly as he adjusted his glasses once more. Getting up from the blond's bed, Midorima made his way to stand next to Kise and shoved something in the knight's hands. "Put this on," the archer ordered.

Ryouta examined the cloth that was handed to him and nearly shrieked. The clothing was a dull brown – from what he could see – that had holes in it and was dreadfully plain. Why would Midorima hand him something so foul?!

Before Kise could complain, Midorima was already explaining, "We have to follow the two without being noticed, and – frankly – your wardrobe is a bit too flashy to go unrecognized." Reluctant – even after the male's explanation – Kise changed, though he didn't see a problem in what Midorima insinuated.

As the blond continued to change, he couldn't help but ask, "Why do we need to follow them?"

"I thought you were Prince Kasamatsu's personal guard," the other male questioned with a raised brow.

"True . . ." Kise replied as he put the finishing touches on his disguise. It was then the knight noticed that Midorima was already changed in similar clothing to the ones that he handed to Ryouta. He had his hands crossed over his chest and looked quite impatient as he waited for the blond to finish. "Another question, why are they doing this? Where are they going?"

"That's two questions, idiot. But this scenario is nothing new to me. Ever since I became Takao's personal guard, I've noticed that he likes to leave the palace grounds and go into the town to mingle with the people."

Kise raised a brow. "Why?" he asked as the two walked briskly out of Ryouta's room and out the castle.

Midorima shrugged his shoulders. "I don't have the slightest idea. But apparently he's been doing this longer than I've been working for him. Normally, I would've stopped his shenanigans, but I didn't have the heart to end such a tradition. So as a compromise, I've decided to follow him unnoticed to make sure he stays out of trouble."

"Aw, Midorimacchi, you _do_ have a heart!" Kise cooed as they exited the manor.

The Green Knight shushed the blond as they exited into the crisp air. The two were long gone by now, already scaled the high fence, and into the town. Kise walked towards the entrance gate, ready to follow the duo, when a hand on his shoulder stopped him. "Midorimacchi?" the blond questioned.

"If we exited through the main gate, wouldn't that look suspicious? We're trying to be discreet here."

"Oh," the blond said dumbly as he followed the Green Knight to where the two saw the princes make their escape. Apparently Midorima wanted Kise to scale the fence just as his prince did. It was no problem for the blond – nearly jumping over the thing – but it seemed unnecessary. Kise didn't want to point out that they had a southern gate and could've just gone through that because it was entertaining to watch the Green Knight slip on the metal bars.

When the two were over and began to walk into town, Kise asked, "So why did Prince Takao bring Kasamatsucchi on his little outing?" Ryouta didn't think that having a night on the town was his sort of thing. The prince was too stiff to do stuff like that, right?

Midorima shrugged for the second time, but said nothing more.

This really wasn't how Kise thought his night would go.

* * *

After half an hour of searching, the two knights-in-disguise found their princes. The two were found in a rowdy tavern. Drinks were spilling all over the place and shouts could be heard a block away. In the midst of it all were the nobles. Apparently, they claimed to have traveled far and wide and came for a quick drink to ease their nerves.

Prince Takao was chatting it up with a fellow who seemed to be equally drunk. Their laughter seemed to be the most notable of the entire pub. The prince's face was red with alcohol and his movements seemed to be lazier than usual. He swayed to and fro as he talked with his new friend – all the while he had a goofy smile on his face.

Next to him, Kasamatsu sat – nursing a drink of his own – but talked in a more civil manner. Granted, the noble was still tipsy – which was apparent by the way he smiled more easily and by the way he talked – but not drunk.

Midorima and Kise sat near the two, but not too close – just enough for the knights to hear the two black haired men. Kise didn't understand why Prince Takao would go here of all places; it was dirty, loud, and made his skin crawl. Ryouta has never been to a place this casual and it was making his skin crawl. People were so close to him that he could smell them, which was so rancid that he nearly puked.

A bar tender gave the two knights a drink, which they both gladly accepted. Midorima didn't seem fazed by his situation at all, which was surprising to the blond. Maybe it was because he was use to following Prince Takao to these sort of places by now. Kise didn't know, and hopefully wouldn't get use to this sort of thing as well.

With their new proximity, Kise could understand what Kasamatsu was doing. It didn't take long for the string of conversations to make sense to the Yellow Knight. He then understood why his price was doing all this and didn't feel nearly as angry towards him – not that he was angry at his prince! Oh no!

"– nce Kasamatsu ain't a bad lad. I mean, he pissed me off with his high and mighty attitude but I don't have anythin' against the bloke."

"Why does he piss you off?" Yukio asked with a slight slur to his voice.

"It's 'cause of all the stuff he makes us do, like pay taxes 'n worship the ground he walks on!"

"Er, I don't think he does that."

"Ye, but it feels like it sometimes," the man grumbled.

"I heard that he's buildin' up an army to over throw the king!" someone interjected.

The prince's eyes widened. "I-I don't think that's true either. . ."

"I hear that he'll do whatever he wants to other kingdoms!" yet another voice yelled, "It's even said that this meetin' with the prince from the west is some ploy. Like, Prince Kasamatsu is gonna swindle some military shit from 'em or somethin'!"

A palm slammed on the wooden table and Prince Takao shot to his feet. He shouted, "Hey!" He glared at Kasamatsu weakly with his half empty glass of beer still in hand.

Rolling his eyes at the other prince, the black haired man scolded with a laugh, "Sit down, you're drunk!"

The other prince looked at Kasamatsu for a moment then agreed, "Oh, yeah." He then took a swig from his drink and sat back down giggling.

"But you don't hate the guy, right?" Kasamatsu asked as he swayed ever so slightly.

All along the prince's little group, the heads shook no and commented on how he wasn't too horrible. A wave of relief washed over the noble – Kise could spot it even from his booth not too far away. After that, the topic of politics seemed to wash away to nothing but laughs and joyous talk.

Even though the two knights were at a bar, neither of them drank too much. Both had to keep sharp just in case anything happened to their princes. However, nothing fantastic seemed to happen for the rest of the evening.

But in all honesty, the reason Kise didn't touch his drink was because he was too busy staring at his black haired prince. The way he smiled more easily and how his expressions and body language was more relaxed. The noble was just hypnotizing like this. His smiles were lazy and his movements were sloppy; it seemed like Kasamatsu was a totally different person, but it wasn't a bad thing.

Although, Kise was just a bit disappointed that the only way he could see his prince in such a way was by spying on him (well, he was actually guarding him discreetly, but spying is so much simpler to say).

A few hours passed and Prince Takao fainted. The two knights looked away for a few minutes to talk, then the two heard a dull thud. Midorima looked over to see his prince face first on the table, hand still gripping his now empty glass. The Green Knight sighed and adjusted his glasses. He muttered something about this sort of thing happening all too often and got up from the booth to the fainted noble.

Midorima bowed to the still conscious patrons and excused the black haired male for passing out. He grabbed Prince Takao, who seemed to have woken up and began to squirm.

"O-oh, Shin-chaaaan~!" the noble wailed. Takao leaned heavily on him as he hoisted the prince up. "'Bout time ya got 'ere!" Prince Takao wobbled on his feet and laughed at his probably spinning world. Midorima simply looked passive.

The black haired prince looked up at the green haired knight and whispered something for only his ears. Kise wished he knew what the noble said because the next thing the blond knew Midorima's face exploded in a rosy red. The Green Knight shouted for the noble to be quiet which he simply laughed at the green haired male's antics.

Then _kissed_ him. Right on the lips; Prince Takao kissed Midorima Shintarou.

Kise's jaw dropped at the action and wasn't afraid to gawk at the sight. It wasn't that he was surprised two males were making-out; he was surprised that _Midorima Shintarou_ was making-out with _anyone_! The green haired male was so reserved and emotionally dethatched that it was odd to see him doing anything sensual let alone kissing someone.

Midorima's eyes widened as his employer's lips were on his. The kiss only lasted a few seconds, of which the noble's new friends laughed and even wolf-whistled at the sight. When the prince moved back he had a lazy grin on his face as he leaned heavily on his knight. Midorima – face now fully flushed – opened his mouth to say something, but Prince Takao burped in the green haired male's face. The black haired man erupted in laughter, as did other patrons. Thoroughly annoyed, Midorima picked up the noble by the waist and sling him over his shoulder. Bidding the others farewell again, the two left the tavern.

As the two exited, Kise heard Prince Takao slurring things like, "Oh, so strong!" and "Looks like I'm gonna have some fun tonight boys!" followed by a fit of laughter.

Ryouta smiled to himself as he watched the two males exit the pub. He now really liked that prince. Anyone who had enough courage to get affectionate with Midorima was a worthy person to Kise. As the thought of nobles arose, the blond knight looked over to the table to find Kasamatsu in a similar state as the other prince.

Yukio's head was down but pillowed by his folded arms. He seemed to be sleeping. No one around him has noticed.

Kise wasn't as courteous as Midorima. The Yellow Knight simply walked up to his prince and scooped him up in his arms. He rested the prince's head on his shoulder as he hoisted him up, supporting his back and the underside of his knees. Kise didn't even look at the other patrons' wondering gazes. All of Ryouta's attention was on the black haired noble who was curled up in his arms.

* * *

 **If you didn't catch it – or aren't a history buff – then I suppose I'll just tell y'all what time period this story takes place in: the Renaissance! For those of you who said medieval times, y'all were close! ((and there was someone – MarcoBodtom – was close, but didn't specify the era, but I'm still willing to write you a fic deary ^^))**

 **So now you all know! :D The biggest hints were the emphasis on the artwork, how the princes were ruling and changing how they ruled, and some other little hints here and there. I hope it makes sense now ^^**

 **As for this chapter in particular, I just want to say that the bar scene is the reason I started writing this story. I always write a story with a particular scene in mind and build the world around that one instance – and this bar scene being that instance. I got my inspiration from Aladdin, like how a royal would disguise themselves and go mingle with the people. The thought escalated into this monstrosity and this renaissance world just grew around it.**

 **I hope to get the next chapter up faster than this one. Thanks everyone for reading and please leave a comment to tell me what you thought of this chapter.**


	8. Letter

~~~ Chapter 8 ~~~

Letter

Kasamatsu's head leaning against Kise's shoulders as the black haired prince sleeps soundly. This is something the blond hopes to happen again. Having the noble so vulnerable in his arms makes him feel like he's doing his job right – for one thing – but it also lifts Kise's heart in such a way that he feels like he's suffocating – in a good way, if that makes any sense.

The walk back to the palace consists of Ryouta staring down at the noble so much that he almost runs into people and other objects. He's almost dropped Kasamatsu too – something in which is deeply sorry for – but he couldn't help it. Having Kasamatsu sleep so soundly, with no creases on his forehead or a scowl to match, he looked so much younger. He looked his age. Kise could even over look the ratty clothing; Ryouta thought the prince looked so peaceful. The light of the moon and few torches within the city illuminated the prince's face, highlighting those cheekbones and darkening the dips in his face. It was no wonder the knight continuously ran into things. Kasamatsu looked beautiful.

Kise was almost disappointed when he had to set the noble down on his bed. He didn't want to disrobe the noble in fear that he might get kicked for it – it was something Kise could see Kasamatsu doing to him in the near future if he did so.

Kasamatsu looked beautiful like this too. The dim lighting casting a more surreal look – like God sent such a ray down on a face of purity. It made Kasamatsu's skin look inhumanly pale, save for the slight flush from the alcohol still circling through his system.

Looking down on the noble, Kise brushed a strand of hair from that perfect face. It was at that moment that Kise Ryouta, the Yellow Knight of Miracles, vowed to never let any harm come to Prince Kasamatsu Yukio (not that Kise wouldn't have protected Kasamatsu before. It was just now he had more of a drive and more _personal feeling_ behind his actions).

* * *

"GET OUT!" Prince Takao screamed lazily as he threw the nearest thing to him, which happened to be a pillow.

Midorima slammed the door shut to avoid getting hit with the soft projectile. Kise stood surprised behind the Green Knight. The other male looked genuinely worried as he hid himself from the other prince.

Clearing his throat, Midorima straightened his stance and explained, "He doesn't take hangovers well."

Kise chuckled, "It's alright, Midorimacchi, I get it."

With a sigh, the green haired male continued, "I'll make sure he doesn't break anything and we'll be out of your hair by mid afternoon."

"Aw, do you guys have to go so soon?" Kise asked with a genuine sad expression.

Adjusting his glasses, Midorima confirmed a-matter-of-factly, "Yes, we have over stated your hospitality. The two princes also agreed we would depart today anyway."

Slumping his shoulders, Kise nodded. There was nothing the blond knight could do. The princes' words were final, after all. Ryouta was just surprised that Midorima could get the hung-over prince to function properly by that time – Kise didn't question whether or not the Green Knight could do it, he knew for a fact that he could. Kise was just impressed that Midorima could do it at all.

With that thought, Ryouta remembered that his own prince might be in a similar state. Kise didn't actually know how Kasamatsu acted when hung-over – hell, he didn't even know how the prince acted drunk until the night prior. It wasn't that Kasamatsu didn't drink; it was just that he did so responsibly and only got tipsy, but never drunk. Kise shuddered at the thought of Prince Kasamatsu being hung-over. Was he as bad as Prince Takao? Was he worse? Kise could very much see Kasamatsu being much more aggressive than the other noble. The thought alone made a shiver run down Kise's spine.

The blond knight bid the other a quick farewell. Midorima slipped into the guest room, and as Kise turned to leave he couldn't help but hear the crash from within followed by a few shouting. The Yellow Knight felt bad for his comrade, but there was nothing he could do to save him now.

Kise quickly made his way towards his prince's room. Anticipation was heavy with his every step. When he reached his destination, he raised his fist to knock but hesitated. He contemplated for a brief moment whether knocking was even a good idea – then thought if entering was a good idea either.

With a quick breath and throwing caution to the wind, Kise bravely opened the door. Inside was dark, but not enough for the blond to be blind. He quickly stepped in and noticed the noble getting dressed. The sudden light in the room drew Kasamatsu's attention to him. Ryouta felt sheepish, but he slipped into the room and closed the door behind him.

With a worried look, Kise said, "Y-you're up." It was meant to be a statement, but the words came out more like a question in the blond's ears.

Kasamatsu raised a brow. "Why wouldn't I be?"

The blond was confused. Kasamatsu didn't act like he was hung-over at all. "Are . . . are you feeling okay?"

"Yes," the prince answered harshly.

Kasamatsu was definitely not okay. The way he hissed out his words was obvious. Why was the noble trying to hide the fact? Was he putting on a façade just to not look weak? That was unnecessary; Kise's seen him at his most vulnerable so it wouldn't matter . . . Oh. Ryouta realized that Kasamatsu didn't realize he was there at the tavern, watching over him and getting him back to the castle. Kasamatsu didn't know so he was trying to appear normal – like he didn't sneak out over night and got drunk and now had a hangover.

"Uh," Kise stammered as he made his revelation. He cleared his throat before continuing, "W-why is it so dark in here, Kasamatsucchi?"

"N-no reason!" the noble stuttered as he changed more quickly.

Kise smiled, but didn't say anything further. "I'll leave you then. If you need anything, I'll be right outside," the knight stated formally.

Even though the room was dark, Ryouta didn't miss the look of gratitude on Yukio's face – it was a look that made Ryouta's heart clench in a painfully good way.

* * *

It wasn't long before the Hawkeye Prince bid Kasamatsu and Kise farewell. Prince Takao wasn't looking up to his usual par, but it would pass for looking mature. His eyes were drooped but aside from that he looked just as proper as he did when he arrived. Kise had to hand it to Midorima for fixing up the once frumpy-looking noble. It was impressive to say the least.

The guards and princes stood outside the manor's gates for a last, and public, farewell. Prince Takao put back on his princely façade and Kasamatsu acted the same. Their good-byes were swift as opposed to the two knights. They conversed in proper tones for a moment longer than the nobles saying how they should come to meet all the Knights of Miracles once again for much time had passed from their last meeting. Midorima promised to pass the information to Akashi – he was the one to arrange all meetings anyway.

After a few bows and handshakes, the Hawkeye kingdom residents mounted their horses and set for their journey back out west.

Kise hoped Midorima would get the message to Akashi.

He missed his comrades.

Kise just got back from his lands when a messenger came up to him and handed him a letter. Ryouta told the boy that he would get it to the prince immediately, but the boy surprised him by saying the letter was for him. Kise raised a brow; in the thirteen months the blond has been working for his prince, he's never received any mail.

The knight bowed to the messenger and the boy ran off. Kise flipped the piece of paper over and over in his hands as he entered the castle. Servants rushed around him as he barely paid attention to where he was walking. He absentmindedly told one of the castle hands to run a bath for him. He was covered in mud, which he was quite disgusted about and threw quite a fit at the time but was not distracted with the piece of folded paper in his hands.

Observing the front, the middle of the letter had his name written in beautifully intricate calligraphy. Nothing else was on it. Flipping to the back, a blood red wax seal sat in the center, keeping the note closed. The symbol embedded into the stamp held no meaning to Kise, but the color spoke louder than any words.

It was from Akashi.

Trying to be as careful as possible, Ryouta pried the wax off and took out the letter inside. It held a single piece of paper with words written all over it in the same fancy lettering. The handwriting was undoubtedly Akashi's as well; he hasn't met a soul who could write with such precision and elegancy.

 _Kise Ryouta,_

 _Greetings. It has been quite a while. I apologize for not getting in touch sooner._

 _I hope you are doing well with Prince Kasamatsu. Shintarou informed me of his visit to your kingdom and I was pleased with your new circumstances._

 _My Prince Kouki and I agreed upon a gathering in our kingdom for all the Knights of Miracles – I was also made aware, by Shintarou, that this meeting was upon your request and I appreciate the gesture. We shall meet in two months time. Please inform me with notice if there are any conflicts._

 _I do hope you can make the meeting, Ryouta, you and your Prince. I would very much like to meet this Prince Kasamatsu._

 _Akashi Seijuro_

Kise didn't realize he was in his room sitting in a chair. If he was standing he was sure his legs would've given out under him. Even though the words were written out, Ryouta could practically hear the red head's words – commands – especially with that last statement. The Yellow Knight could practically hear the Red Knight's threateningly commanding tone. It wasn't a suggestion whether or not Kise could go, even if the note said otherwise.

Kise _had_ to go – had no choice in the matter – but oddly, he was okay with it. As much of a hard time everyone gave him, Ryouta really did miss them: their playful banter, the bickering like siblings, and even the sparing – in which he would lose badly to. It would be nice to see everyone again.

With a smile on his face, Kise got up from his seat – letter in hand – and went to Kasamatsu to tell him to prepare for a trip east.


End file.
